ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list her Department's  (a) advisory bodies and  (b) committees concerned with animal health and welfare; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA is the Department with the lead responsibility for animal health and welfare. Partnership working with animal owners, the farming industry and others is at the heart of the approach set out in the Government's Animal Health and Welfare Strategy.
	The current advisory bodies and committees are:
	Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens
	Advisory Committee on Organic Standards
	Cattle Compensation Advisory Group
	Defra Antimicrobial Resistance Co-ordination Group
	England Implementation Group for the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain
	Farm Animal Welfare Council
	Human and Animal Infections and Risks Surveillance Group
	Independent Scientific Group on Cattle Tuberculosis
	Science Advisory Council
	Bovine Tuberculosis Vaccine Programme Advisory Group
	Bovine Tuberculosis Vaccine Steering Group
	UK Zoonoses Group
	Veterinary Products Committee
	Veterinary Residues Committee
	Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee
	Surveillance Group on Diseases and Infections in Animals
	Zoos Forum

Avian Influenza

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the poultry industry of cases of avian influenza being identified in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 May 2006
	We are monitoring the effect of these cases closely but it is too early to say what the wider impacts on industry will be. Our present objective is to manage the situation effectively and to minimise adverse impacts by encouraging wide public understanding of the issues and an evidence-based and proportionate response.
	At present the disease is confined to three premises. Unless there is a significant spread of disease we do not expect a significant impact on local economies. Trade from the UK to other member states can carry on as normal and we are continuing to work with exporters and British embassies regarding imminent exports of poultry to third countries.

Avian Influenza

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support has been given to assist the poultry industry in the UK to deal with the effects on sales as a result of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Government are working closely with the poultry industry to respond effectively to the challenges posed by avian influenza.
	Market impacts of animal disease are a risk carried by the industry. But the Government seek to minimise that risk by encouraging wide public understanding of the issues and an evidence-based and proportionate response. In particular, the Food Standards Agency, the Health Protection Agency, the chief medical officer and the chief veterinary officer have all made clear statements to the effect that avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk for domestic consumers.

Biological Diversity

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 813-4W, on biological diversity, what contribution she expects the UK to make towards each of the recommendations; what her timetable is for thedelivery of such contributions; and if she will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Government were closely involved in developing many of the initiatives agreed upon at the Eigth Conference of Parties (COP 8) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including in it's EU presidency role in the latter half of 2006. We will continue to support the EU in forthcoming international negotiations, including on the conservation of marine biodiversity and genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and on the development of an international regime on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources.
	Many of the decisions from the conference include a call for regional responses and we expect these to be discussed at the next meeting of the Working Party on International Environmental Issues (Biodiversity) in June.
	Once the definitive versions of the Decisions taken at COP 8 are available on the website of the Convention on Biological Diversity, my officials will review with other Departments the devolved Administrations and the Nature Conservation Agencies how to ensure that the decisions taken, including the new programme of work on Island Biodiversity, and the decisions on climate change and biodiversity, invasive alien species, business and biodiversity, forest biological diversity and agricultural biodiversity are reflected in our policies, programmes and research for the United Kingdom. This exercise will be completed over the next six months.
	One of the key delivery mechanisms for these policies are the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), required under article 6 of the Convention. The COP decision to review the implementation of NBSAPs is opportune in the light of plans already in place within the UK to refresh the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, which is both a delivery mechanism for the CBD and a link from CBD to the devolved country biodiversity strategies.
	The decision on business and biodiversity arose from a joint UK Brazil initiative in partnership with the Secretariat of the CBD, Insight Investments and ILJCN—the World Conservation Union. We will be discussing with these and new partners how to take forward the elements of the decision requiring international development.
	I will be discussing the integration of biodiversity into official development assistance with the DFID Under-Secretary of State at the next meeting of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Biodiversity.
	We will continue to work closely with colleagues in Europe and the Secretariat to the CBD to support work on indicators and the development of improved outcome focussed reporting.
	Elements of some decisions will be implemented through existing EU measures, for example the recently concluded Regulation on Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade which strengthens efforts to promote sustainable forest management. In addition, existing EU legislation, in particular directive 2001/18/EC, already ensures a precautionary! Approach to the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (including Genetically Modified Trees and Genetic Use Restriction Technologies).We will continue to provide additional financial resources to support countries rich in biodiversity in the implementation of the CBD through the UK's substantial contribution to the Global Environment Facility (currently £118 million for 2002-2006, of which approximately 30 per cent. goes to Biodiversity projects) and through the Darwin Initiative.
	We will also support capacity building efforts over the inter-sessional period leading up to COP 9 in 2008 through DEFRA's World Summit on Sustainable Development Implementation Fund and through DEFRA's support for the Convention's Trust Funds. We will be focusing such efforts particularly on Africa and on support for implementation, particularly through national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

Game Rearing Farms

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2005,  Official Report, column 553W, on game rearing farms, what the reasons are for the difference between the figure for the number of game rearing farms given in that answer and that given in the partial draft regulatory impact assessment on the control of avian influenza.

Barry Gardiner: Figures provided in the answer of16 June 2005,  Official Report, column 553W, represent the industry's own best estimate for the UK as a whole; no specific figures are held. That answer also referred to 200 established game farms, while the partial RIA drew on the Game Conservancy Trust's estimate that there are more than 10,000 holdings where pheasants are reared. The use of these different classifications accounts for the difference in the figures quoted.
	More recently, DEFRA has established the Great Britain Poultry Register to gather essential information about certain species of birds only held on commercial premises in Great Britain. This is to support rapid communication with poultry keepers and help to manage disease outbreaks by targeting resourceswhere they are needed most. Further informationcan be found on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/poultry/index.htm

John Pointon and Sons

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which body is responsible for regulating the activities of animal rendering plants, with particular reference to John Pointon and Sons, Felthouse Lane, Cheddleton near Leek, Staffordshire.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 May 2006
	If the aggregated net thermal rated input of the appliances on a rendering site exceeds 50 MW, the rendering plant falls under part A(1) of section 1.1 of schedule 1 to the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (PPC Regulations) and thereby is regulated by the Environment Agency. This is the case with the rendering plant operated by John Pointonand Sons near Leek. Rendering plants with less than50 MW aggregated net thermal rated input falls under part A(2) of section 6.8 of part 1 of schedule 1 of the PPC Regulations and thereby is regulated by the relevant local authority.
	The Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 requires all premises on which animal by-products are handled or processed to be officially approved or authorised. In England the implementing Regulations (the Animal By-Products Regulations 2005) prescribe the Secretary of State as a 'competent authority' for the purpose of granting animal by-product approvals. The Secretary of State fulfils this role via the state veterinary service. Approval is only granted or maintained if the competent authority is satisfied that the regulation is complied with.

Natural England

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of hectares of land which would be owned by Natural England; what percentage of this land is dedicated for open air recreation under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and what plans exist for dedicating the remaining land.

Barry Gardiner: We envisage that the majority of Natural England's land holding will comprise National Nature Reserves (NNRs). NNRs cover approximately 89,800 hectares, of which 62,300 hectares are managed by English Nature, the remainder being managed by Approved Bodies. Of the land managed by English Nature, 19,641 hectares are owned and hence qualify for owner-dedication under section 16 (s16) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Some 27,935 ha of all NNRs (whether managed by English Nature or by an Approved Body) are already mapped as access I and under the CRoW Act. No NNRs are currently dedicated under s16 of CRoW, although the first such dedication will follow shortly, prior to the vesting of Natural England. The board of Natural England has not yet considered its policy ons16 dedication.

Poultry Farmers (Subsidies)

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on financial support for poultry farmers in other EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 May 2006
	A proposal to extend the current provision for exceptional measures in the eggs and poultry market was adopted at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 25 April. This allows exceptional market support measures to be taken where there is serious market disturbance because of concerns about avian influenza. Member states would need to specifically request any individual measures, and these would need to be 50 per cent. co-financed. The Commission has made clear that measures adopted by member states before 25 April may be considered for co-financing on a case-by-case basis, and that serious market disturbance is defined at EU—not member state—level.
	The UK view is that these kind of measures must be directly linked to exceptional circumstances and must not be used to distort the normal competitive nature of the EU market. It is long-standing UK policy that public funds should not be used to underpin changes as a result of normal market evolution.

Voluntary Shops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what Government support is available to develop voluntary shops in village communities.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 3 May 2006
	Village shops are important to rural communities in providing goods and services, as well as crucial social contact. An increasing number of village shops are operating as social enterprises and able to sustain the business through volunteer action and earned income.
	For social enterprises generally, local Business Links are a good source of advice and support. The Business Link website includes a selection of useful sources of information and business support. More specifically, DEFRA' s rural enterprise scheme, which is part of the England rural development programme (ERDP), can provide support to social enterprise projects such as community run shops, where they have strong community backing and a business plan which establishes the need for a grant. The current ERDP ends on 31 December 2006 and the rural enterprise scheme will close to new applications on 30 June 2006. DEFRA is currently consulting on priorities for the new rural development programme for England.
	The Government have also assisted local services by extending mandatory rate relief at 50 per cent. to include sole village public houses, petrol stations and village food shops under the village shop scheme. Qualifying premises are entitled to a 50 per cent. reduction in their business rates bills, and local authorities have the discretion to top-up all other non-domestic premises up to 100 per cent. provided the rateable value is £14,000 or less.

TREASURY

1921 Census

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what statutory authority the Registrar General retained the 1921 decennial census for England and Wales in his Department between1 January 1959 and 16 January 1985; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking under what statutory authority the Registrar General retained the 1921 decennial census for England and Wales in his Department between 1 January 1959 and 16 January 1985. (67180)
	In 1958 the Public Records Act was passed and Section 3(4) specified a requirement to transfer records to the Public Record Office not later than 30 years after their creation. However advice received at that time was that the statutory prohibition on disclosure prescribed by the Census Act 1920 overcame the requirement.
	Subsequently the Registrar General wished the retention of the returns in his custody to be covered by formal approval and this was obtained from the Lord Chancellor in 1985.

Birth Statistics

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what forecast he has made of the number of live births per 1,000 of population in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) Eastbourne in each of the next five years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the forecast of the number of live births per 1,000 of population in (a) East Sussex and (b) Eastbourne in the next 5 years. (68389)
	The attached table provides the projected crude birth rate in East Sussex and Eastbourne from 2005 to 2010. These projections are based on mid-2003 population estimates and are the latest projections available. They assume that local trends in fertility, mortality and migration over the reference period 1999 to 2003 will continue into the future.
	
		
			  Table 1: Projected birth rates in East Sussex and Eastbourne, 2005 to 2010 
			  Births per 1,000 population 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex 
			 2005 9.8 9.5 
			 2006 9.6 9.3 
			 2007 9.4 9.0 
			 2008 9.2 8.9 
			 2009 9.1 8.8 
			 2010 9.0 8.7 
			  Notes: 1. Based on the 2003-based sub-national population projections, the latest set of projections currently available. 2. These population projections show an increase in the size of the population and increasing ageing of the population. These factors lead to a projected decrease in birth rates per 1,000 population. 3. All detailed numbers on which rates are based are available on the National Statistics website.  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Birth Statistics

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many live births per 1,000 of population there have been in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) Eastbourne in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about how many births per 1,000 population there were in (a) East Sussex and (b) Eastbourne in each of the last 10 years. (68390)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2004; the table below shows the requested figures from 1995 to 2004.
	
		
			  Live birth rates per 1,000 population 1995-2004, Eastbourne CD and East Sussex 
			   Eastbourne  East Suussex( 1) 
			 1995 10.4 10.5 
			 1996 9.3 10.1 
			 1997 11.1 10.6 
			 1998 10.7 10.5 
			 1999 9.9 10.0 
			 2000 9.7 9.6 
			 2001 9.9 9.3 
			 2002 9.4 9.2 
			 2003 10.8 9.6 
			 2004 10.7 9.7 
			 (1) In 1997 Brighton CD and Hove CD ceased to form part of East Sussex. To aid comparability they have been excluded throughout the table

Birth Statistics

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) live births and  (b) still births have occurred at (i) Eastbourne district general hospital and (ii) the Conquest hospital, Hastings, in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the forecast of the number of live births per 1,000 of population in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) Eastbourne in the next 5 years. (68399)
	The attached table provides the projected crude birth ratein East Sussex and Eastbourne from 2005 to 2010. These projections are based on mid-2003 population estimates and are the latest projections available. They assume that local trends in fertility, mortality and migration over the reference period 1999 to 2003 will continue into the future.
	
		
			  Table 1: Projected birth rates in East Sussex and Eastbourne, 2005 to 2010 
			  Births per 1,000 population 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex 
			 2005 9.8 9.5 
			 2006 9.6 9.3 
			 2007 9.4 9.0 
			 2008 9.2 8.9 
			 2009 9.1 8.8 
			 2010 9.0 8.7 
			  Notes: 1. Based on the 2003-based subnational population projections, the latest set of projections currently available. 2. These population projections show an increase in the size of the population and increasing ageing of the population. These factors lead to a projected decrease in birth rates per 1,000 population. 3. All detailed numbers on which rates are based are available on the National Statistics website.  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Bowel Cancer

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) incidence and  (b) survival rate was for bowel cancer in each (i) goverment office region and (ii) strategic health authority area in each of the last three years, broken down by sex and age.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) incidence and (b) survival rate was for bowel cancer in each (i) government office region and (ii) strategic health authority area in each of the last three years, broken down by sex and age.
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of colorectal (bowel) cancer registered in England are for the year 2003. Incidence rates by Government Office Region and by sex, in each year between 2001 and 2003, are published in Table 5 of the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations, Series MB1. These are available on the National Statistics website:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=8843&Pos=l&ColRank=2&Rank=272
	Numbers of newly diagnosed cases and indirectly standardised ratios (SRRs) are available by Strategic Health Authority and by sex for the years 1993 to 2002. These can be found on the Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base website:
	http://www.nchod.nhs.uk/.
	The latest available one-year and five-year survival rates by Government Office Region and Strategic Health Authority for cancer of the colon, are for adult patients diagnosed during 1995-1997 and followed up to the end of 2002. These were published on the National Statistics website on 21st April 2005, and are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991&Pos=4&ColRank=1&Rank=272.
	Figures are not available for colorectal (bowel) cancer or cancer of the rectum. Figures by age are only available at England level.

Finance (No.2) Bill

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what  (a) research and  (b) other information was used to inform his conclusions regarding the number of people affected by Clause 157 and Schedule 20 of the Finance (No. 2) Bill;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library the cost impact assessment of Clause 157 and Schedule 20 of the Finance (No. 2) Bill prepared by his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: The Red Book contains estimates of the Exchequer consequences of Budget proposals.

HMRC Premises

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what requirements have been placed on HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in relation to accessibility of its customer-facing offices to public transport; and what assessment HMRC made of the number of buses passing within 100 yards of  (a) the existing St. James's street office and  (b) the proposed St. Cross office each hour during the working day in respect of the transfer of the Newport, Isle of Wight, office to new premises.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC considered—and balanced—a number of factors when considering the new location for the Newport, Isle of Wight inquiry centre. Among the factors considered were accessibility for customers and the availability of suitable accommodation.

Pensions (Public Sector)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public sector employees were covered by final salary pension schemes in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2005.

Stephen Timms: We do not have data for the exact years requested. However, for the years 1995 and 2004, the number of employees covered by public service final salary schemes, which include the civil service, NHS employees, teachers, armed forces, police officers, fire fighters and local government employees were 3.9 and 5 million respectively. These figures do not include employees in public corporations, as information about their schemes is not centrally held.
	Increases in public sector employment have been concentrated in priority areas and focused on frontline delivery. However, there are other factors such as increases in the proportion of part-time employees opting to join public service schemes.

Prostate Cancer

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of cases of prostate cancer in each English county for each year from 1990-91 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the estimate is of the number of cases of prostate cancer in each English county for each year from 1990-91 to 2006-07.
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer registered in England are for the year 2003. I am placing a table in the House of Commons Library, which gives figures by local authority for the years 1990-2003.

Reptiles

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many reptiles were imported into  (a) the UK and  (b) the EU each year between 2000 and 2005; and how many were of (i) wild-caught, (ii) captive-bred, (iii) ranched and (iv) farmed origin in each year.

Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
	Data are only available for imports of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Under CITES, there is no source defined as farmed; only wild-caught, captive-bred and ranched.
	The following number of wild-caught, captive-bred and ranched live reptiles were imported into the UK under CITES:
	
		
			   Wild-caught  Captive-bred  Ranched 
			 2000 3,157 2,089 1,600 
			 2001 2,618 4,013 2,164 
			 2002 3,544 1,393 2,356 
			 2003 5,149 1,988 5,347 
			 2004 4,793 2,925 5,436 
			 2005 3,636 2,382 7,527 
		
	
	Member states release data about the previous year's CITES imports annually in June. Until the June 2006 reporting round is complete, data for imports into the EU are only available up to 2004. The available data show that the following numbers of wild-caught, captive-bred and ranched live reptiles were imported into the EU under CITES:
	
		
			   Wild-caught  Captive-bred  Ranched 
			 2000 41,374 143,735 34,405 
			 2001 51,642 123,217 34,611 
			 2002 43,885 155,561 46,637 
			 2003 57,753 192,541 54,999 
			 2004 46,198 176,383 49,617

Staff Discipline

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Prior to 2005, the Treasury only kept records of disciplinary cases that were proven. Information on disciplinary cases that were initiated but not proven is not available. The number of people who were  (a) disciplined for inappropriate use of the internet while at work in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Disciplined 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 — 
			 2003 — 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 (1)2 
			 (1) The employees concerned resigned during the disciplinary investigation. 
		
	
	No employees were dismissed for this reason.
	The number of people who have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five yearsis nil.

Suicide

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have committed suicide in each year since 1997, broken down by method used.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have committed suicide in each year since 1997, broken down by method used. (68637)
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2004. The attached table shows the number of deaths with a verdict of suicide or undetermined intent, by method of injury in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2004.
	
		
			  Number of deaths from suicide( 1)  and injury of undetermined intent( 2)  by method of injury( 3) , England and Wales, 1997 to 2004( 4) 
			  Method of injury  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Hanging, strangulation and suffocation 1,663 2,028 2,079 1,999 1,877 1,994 1,921 2,057 
			 Drug-related poisoning 1,455 1,355 1,352 1,278 1,248 1,129 1,159 1,150 
			 "Other" poisoning(5) 721 607 570 435 375 353 326 252 
			 Drowning 253 291 283 270 262 257 249 235 
			 Jumping from a high place 139 144 128 158 150 164 166 154 
			 Firearms and explosives 115 125 130 122 111 102 111 95 
			 Contact with sharp object 77 90 86 99 88 105 126 128 
			 Other and unspecified 558 514 560 561 594 561 601 533 
			 Total 4,981 5,154 5,188 4,922 4,705 4,665 4,659 4,604 
			 (1 )The cause of death for suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 for 1997 to 2000 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 for the years 2001 to 2004. (2) The cause of death for undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1997 to 2000 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 pending verdicts for the years 2001 to 2004. (3) The methods of injury were defined using the ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes in the following list and were taken from an article published in Health Statistics Quarterly 20*: Hanging, strangulation and suffocation,  ICD-9 E953, E983  ICD-10 X70, Y20  Drug-related poisoning,  ICD-9 E950.0-E950.5, E980.0-E980.5,  ICD-10 X60-X64, Y10-Y14  "Other" poisoning,  ICD-9 E950.6-E950.9, E951-E952, E980.6-E980.9, E981-E982,  ICD-10 X65-X69, Y15-Y19  Drowning  ICD-9 E954, E984  ICD-10 X71, Y21 Jumping from a high place  ICD-9 E957, E987  ICD-10 X80, Y30 Firearms and explosives  ICD-9 E955, E985  ICD-10 X72-X75, Y22-Y25 Contact with sharp objects  ICD-9 E956, E986  ICD-10 X78, Y28 (4) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year. (5) Includes motor vehicle exhaust gas. * Brock A, Griffiths C (2003) Trends in suicide by method in England and Wales, 1979 to 2001. Health Statistics Quarterly 20, 7-18.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of vehicle excise duty collected was spent on  (a) the maintenance of roads and  (b) public transport in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Government do not hypothecate revenue from vehicle excise duty into transport expenditure.
	Details of Government expenditure on roads and public transport is available on the Department for Transport website http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats041489.pdf

White Papers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many White Papers were published by his Department in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: A list of Command Papers published by the Treasury is to be found on the websiteof the Office of Public Sector Information (www.opsi.gov.uk). Information relating specifically to White Papers and to Green Papers—terms which are not formally defined—is not available.

PRIME MINISTER

Journalists' Air Travel

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006 to question 67852, how charges to journalists are calculated for their air travel when accompanying him on overseas trips;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006 to question 67853, if he will list the names of the journalists who have accompanied him on each foreign visit since 2001; and which news organisations have been invited to accompany him on such visits.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to addto the answer I gave the hon. Member on Wednesday3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1675W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Centre for the Development of Enterprise

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the establishment of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise.

Hilary Benn: The Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE) was established over 25 years ago under the terms of the Partnership Agreement between the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Community and its member states. The CDE's mission is to foster socio-economic development by providing advisory and non-financial services to companies and businesses in ACP countries.
	The CDE employs 57 staff. It is primarily funded from the European Development Fund (EDF) which has provided €108 million for 2000-06. The United Kingdom contributes 12.67 per cent. of that amount. Additional funding comes from donors including Sweden, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

Developing Countries (Corruption)

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle corruption in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to tackling corruption. It is a problem in most countries, and is a result of failures in governance and accountability. The best check against corruption is to strengthen governance, supported by regular monitoring. We need to focus on building policies and institutions that prevent and deter corruption before it undermines development. DFID programmes include support for a range of governance reforms which are aimed primarily at improving accountability, transparency and the improved financial management of public resources. DFID is also promoting work internationally to develop better indicators that will help track progress over time.
	A key part of DFID's work with developing country governments is to support the improvement of strategic planning and public financial management. For example, DFID supports public-financial management reform in Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Lesotho and the Gambia. Procurement reform is particularly important and DFID works closely with other bilateral donors and multilateral institutions (especially the World Bank) to improve countries' procurement capacity. Many DFID programmes are also supporting reform of public service pay, conditions and performance management, in order to reduce the incentives for public officials to act corruptly.
	DFID also provides support to a wide range of institutions in developing countries, working to tackle corruption and improve the effectiveness of aid and domestic resources to maximise service delivery and benefits to poor people DFID has provided technical and financial support to dedicated anti-corruption commissions, for example in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. In addition work is under way to help improve citizens' capacity to hold governments to account for the way funds are used, by strengthening institutions such as parliaments, parliamentary committees and supreme audit institutions.
	Corruption is not just a developing country problem. Developed countries carry an equal responsibility. The UK Government are strongly committed to combating overseas corruption and have taken a number of steps including action to reform the UK domestic legal framework and providing support to developing countries to strengthen their own systems. DFID, working with other government departments, has launched the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to improve the transparency of oil and mineral revenues. The UK also played an important role in negotiations to develop the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the first global agreement on the action that needs to be taken to combat corruption. The UK formally ratified the convention on 9 February this year and became only the second G8 country to have done so.

Family Planning

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration about  (a) condom use,  (b) maternal health,  (c) access to safe abortion and  (d) its Mexico City policy on family planning assistance in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development has not had recent discussions with the US Administration on these issues. The UK does have a different view from the US in a number of areas, including on promoting condom use, and on access to safe abortion. But we do, as we always have, continue to work with the US as closely and constructively as we can to promote country-led, evidence based and effective approaches to sustainable development.
	The UK and the US are the largest bilateral donors involved in the supply of condoms and have a shared view on a range of key issues. We are working closely together, for example with the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition to help develop long-term sustainable responses to reproductive health commodity needs.
	DFID and the US have regular discussions on maternal health, and we both support for example, the recently launched Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, as well as joint research on improving ways to measure maternal health.
	The US is fully aware of our views on the Mexico City policy; that we do not agree with it.

Malaria

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being made by his Department  (a) to treat and  (b) to reduce the incidence of malaria in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: UK support to malaria control is provided through global partnerships, multilateral agencies, and bilateral country programmes. Most of these channels support both treatment of malaria and reduction of incidence including through more widespread use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs). DFID also supports public-private partnerships for the research and development of new tools and technologies (PDPs).
	The UK is a key donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM), and has pledged £359 million to the fund through to 2008. Approximately 27 per cent. of GFATM funds go to malaria treatment and prevention?including both treatment (through provision of anti-malarial drugs) and prevention. DFID has provided £48.5 million from 1998-2005 to the global Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, who work at global level, including by running the malaria medicines and supplies service which works to support countries to access supplies of effective malaria drugs and ITNs. DFID also provides core funding to the World Health Organisation (£12.5 million in 2004-05), and funds the World Bank and European Commission who also provide support to malaria treatment and prevention.
	At country level DFID supports malaria control through bilateral programmes. Our priorities for malaria control focuses on giving support to countries to develop strong and sustainable health systems that are able to scale up the coverage of treatment including artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) and ITNs. In Kenya?DFID has committed £47.4 million to social marketing of ITNs. The aim is to increase the use of nets among pregnant women and children under five. DFID has also committed £8.5 million to develop a sustainable market for ITNs in Mozambique, through community-based and public health centres and retail shops.
	DFID has pledged £10 million over five years (2005-10) to the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), which aims to discover, develop and deliver new affordable anti-malarial drugs. This is a joint commitment with the Wellcome Trust, who will match our support. DFID will also give £6.5 million over the next three years to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), which includes funding for work on developing a more effective artimisinin combination drug for treatment of malaria.

Palestinian Territories

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on increased funding to the Palestinian territories through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Hilary Benn: DFID provided £15 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in April 2006. This will help UNRWA continue to provide health, education, job creation and other essential programmes for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. We provided a similar level of assistance through UNRWA in 2005.
	Since 2004, DFID has provided a total of£47.2 million for UNRWA's work to support the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.

Palestinian Territories

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the merits of  (a) non-governmental organisations and  (b) private sector initiatives funding as a means of sustaining international aid to the Palestinian territories.

Hilary Benn: Supporting the basic needs of the Palestinian people is a high priority for DFID's programme of assistance. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector play a vital role in meeting the needs of some Palestinians. However, NGOs and the private sector do not have the capacity to substitute for the Palestinian Authority (PA) which, together with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), provides the vast majority of basic services to people in the West Bank and Gaza. We hope that the new Palestinian government will comply with the Quartet principles. If this happened, DFID funding would continue through the PA.
	DFID and Her Majesty's Treasury are continuing work that began before the Palestinian elections to take forward the Chancellor of the Exchequer's initiative on the contribution of private sector development and growth to sustained peace in the region. The business environment is clearly very difficult, but we are assessing what opportunities there might be.

Pygmies (Congo Basin)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to provide support for pygmies in the Congo basin who have been affected by conflict.

Hilary Benn: In 2005-06, DFID provided£29.5 million in assistance to meet humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) out of a total programme of £55 million. We do not earmark our assistance specifically for particular ethnic groups so cannot say what proportion of this would have benefited pygmies. In addition to humanitarian assistance, the majority of our programme is focused on successful completion of the transition process and peace-building activities aimed at reducing the risks of conflict. These activities along with a major diplomatic effort are aimed at seeing a permanent end to the conflict in the DRC that has had such a devastating impact on the people including pygmies.
	In 2004-05, we also provided £500,000 in assistance to meet humanitarian needs in the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), also not targeted to any particular ethnic groups.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not make use of recruitment, search and selection agencies when recruiting staff to the home civil service.
	In accordance with The Civil Service Commissioners code, external appointments are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
	Our job advertisements are placed in the national press or specialised magazines in addition to appearing on DFID's own website www.dfid.gov.uk. Since 2003, all of our vacancies have also been placed on the civil service recruitment Gateway website www.careers.civil-service.gov.uk

Sex Tourism

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to work with developing countries to tackle sex tourism, with particular reference to that involving children.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working with Governments of developing countries to reduce poverty. Poverty can make poor people vulnerable to exploitation in local and international sex tourism. DFID has committed approximately £12 million to support countries' efforts to combat trafficking of poor women and children, many of whom are trafficked for work in the sex industry.
	DFID's commitments include support throughthe International Labour Organisation's (ILO) International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour to help eliminate labour exploitation of women and children in the Greater Mekong basin in South East Asia. This six year programme began in 2003 and works with the Governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and the province of Yunnan in China to combat trafficking of women and children. DFID is also supporting a Save the Children Fund programme, which works with communities and is specially designed to complement the ILO's interventions on trafficking at national level.

Sexual Violence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department  (a) to reduce the incidence of sexual violence in Democratic Republic of theCongo and  (b) to improve the status of women in society.

Hilary Benn: We are concerned about the continuing reports of wide-scale sexual violence in the DRC, primarily against women, though also against significant numbers of children and men too. Rape seems to have become a weapon of war among armed groups. The prevailing culture of impunity, which creates the conditions for ongoing human rights violations, persists in the great lakes region.
	The UK is working with the international community at different levels to deal with causes and symptoms of this, and has raised the issue with the Congolese authorities at all levels on many occasions, reminding them of the need to protect the rights of all vulnerable groups and for judicial action to be taken to bring the perpetrators of such abuses to justice. Specifically, as a member of the International Committee to Support the Transition (CIAT), the UK has joined the international community in highlighting abuses perpetrated by the Congolese army against the civilian population.
	To end the cycle of human rights violations in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), there needs to be an end to conflict in the country and the whole great lakes region. Conflict reduction is a major focus of the UK's engagement in DRC, and at a local level in the East we support NGOs who are promoting dialogue and peace building work between communities previously in conflict, with a total commitment of £3.3 million.
	In addition, all the projects within this peace building programme try to tackle many of the underlying causes of sexual violence and to enhance women's status in society by working with women's organisations. One example of this type of work is International Alert's support for the South Kivu Women's Forum, which brings together women's organisations from community groups to women politicians to work for women's empowerment and peace.
	Other areas of our work aim to address other aspects of women's empowerment. For example we are providing support of £800,000 to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to ensure women's full participation in the electoral process, both as candidates and voters.

Sexual Violence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to provide  (a) psychological counselling for rape victims,  (b) education for communities to reduce the stigma associated with rape,  (c) medical treatment for victims including repair of fistula,  (d) support for women made pregnant as a result of rape and  (e) other support for victims of sexual violence in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hilary Benn: The high incidence of sexual violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is of great concern to the Government, particularly as recent evidence that suggest that levels are increasing. Providing support to the victims of such violence is a key part of humanitarian work in the DRC and DFID is a major donor to humanitarian programmes in the country, through the DRC Humanitarian Action Plan.
	The Action Plan identifies 'protection' as a key sector for support, which includes ensuring that special measures are implemented to protect women and girls from violence in emergency situations and providing adequate assistance for survivors of gender-based violence.
	Many of the individual humanitarian projects that we fund include providing support, especially medical assistance to victims of sexual violence, particularly in Eastern DRC. We are providing £440,000 to the Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO,) Christian Relief Network to set up and run a hospital wing in South Kivu treating women suffering from fistula—which is one of the most serious and devastating consequences of sexual violence. Their programme includes some of psychological support for patients as well as medical treatment. We are also supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have recently launched a gender-based violence pilot programme in the East.
	We have recently agreed to the addition of medical and psychosocial support for victims of sexual violence to an existing humanitarian health programme implemented by the health NGO, Merlin.

Sierra Leone

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the percentage of the population of Sierra Leone which  (a) lives below the poverty line and  (b) lives on (i) $1 and (ii) $2 a day.

Hilary Benn: The Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey of 2003-04 (the latest available figures) found that:
	70 per cent. of the population lived below the national poverty line (Leones 2,111 a day, which is the equivalent of $0.90 a day);
	Approximately 70 per cent. of the population therefore lives on less than a dollar a day, and this figure is cited by the UN in 2005;
	Approximately 75 per cent. of Sierra Leoneans live on less than two dollars a day according to data cited by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)in 2006.

Sierra Leone

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to help Sierra Leone develop policies to enable its Government to generate income from  (a) diamonds and  (b) fishing.

Hilary Benn: DFID is supporting the objectives set out in the Government of Sierra Leone's Core Mineral Policy. It has two main aims: to maximise the economic and social benefits of the diamond sector to both the Government and the people of Sierra Leone; and to ensure that the benefits accrued from the sector are divided more equitably among those involved. I refer the hon. Member for Cotswold to the answer I previously gave on 7 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 1395-6.
	DFID is committed to ensuring that the Government of Sierra Leone maximise the revenues it can accrue from its mineral resources, including the diamond sector. As part of this commitment, DFID is recruiting a Director General (DG) for the Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR), whose principle task will be to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Ministry. The DG's responsibilities will include overseeing a work plan that the MMR will develop in close consultation with the Office of the President. The DG will also liaise closely with other ministries, such as the National Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the policies developed maximise the revenue potential available to the Government from its extractive sector.
	DFID officials are currently assessing options for providing support to fisheries policy development and more effective fisheries management by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The European Commission (EC) is currently supporting a fisheries stock assessment in Sierra Leone and DFID's assistance would aim to build on this. At the same time, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has shown an interest in engaging with Sierra Leone on issues relating to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Our combined objective is to ensure the wealth of this highly prized fishery accrues to Sierra Leone for use by Sierra Leoneans. It is commonly recognised that currently Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries Liberia and Guinea, are together losing $140 million in fish that is stolen by illegal foreign fleets operating beyond the reach of national policing. A recent DFID assessment mission noted that this would have important benefits for the many small-scale fishers and processors and help them access new markets for their produce.
	The mission was undertaken as part of the development of a new Joint EC/DFID Country Strategy Paper for Sierra Leone, which will be published in the autumn.

Sierra Leone

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the population of Sierra Leone has access to  (a) free education and basic healthcare and  (b) fresh water; and what steps he is taking to increase the percentage in each case.

Hilary Benn: There is currently no accurate or reliable data on the percentage of the population that have access to free education and basic health care services. The Ministry of Health estimates for 2005, indicate that approximately 60 per cent. of the population has access to health services of some kind. I refer the hon. Member to the information on 'gross school enrolment rates' in my answer of 13 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1941W.
	On the percentage of the population who have access to safe water, estimates from the Sierra Leone National Energy and Water Policy Planning Unit vary from21 per cent. to 46 per cent. (Updated water data from a household survey will be available soon and DFID is supporting ActionAid to undertake a water user survey in the Freetown area.)
	At the end of the conflict in 2002, DFID agreed a country assistance programme with the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) which focused on promoting peace and security, and good governance. This, with poverty reduction budget support, has formed the core of DFID support to date. As part of the development a new Joint Country Strategy, DFID, the GoSL and the European Commission (EC) are reviewing existing country programmes. This will include an assessment of needs in the education, health and water sectors.A draft of the Joint Country Strategy will be available for wider consultation in July.
	In the meantime, DFID is funding a number of separate initiatives across all three sectors. These include:
	providing support to implement a Malaria Outreach programme;
	undertaking preparatory work with the National Energy and Water Policy Planning Unit to support the National Water and Sanitation Policy. DFID is also financing a programme aimed at improving the effectiveness of state-owned enterprises, including in the water sector;
	through DFID contributions to the EU Water Facility a number of NGO programmes for rural water supply and sanitationare underway in Sierra Leone—with a total value of some€5.4 million.

White Papers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many White Papers were published by his Department in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: No White Papers within the Commands Paper series were published by DFIDin 2005.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft (Air Supply)

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Civil Aviation Authority has started an investigation into the chronic neurotoxic effects of exposure to pyrolised engine oils via inhalation from aircraft engines into the cabin air supply on various types of aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: We have commissioned for the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) to conduct a comprehensive evidence review of any health risks in cabin air and the CAA are contributing to this process. The formal COT meeting will be held in public later this year.

Cabotage Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the EU Directive relating to cabotage on the UK haulage industry.

Stephen Ladyman: Based on figures published by Eurostat, it is estimated that, in 2004, cabotage operations by foreign hauliers accounted for about1.2 per cent. of all road haulage operations in the UK (the cabotage penetration rate for the EU as a whole was also about 1.2 per cent.)
	We are working with industry, through the Haulage Industry Task Group, to gather further evidence on the range of challenges facing the haulage industry, including competition from overseas, but also a number of other important issues.

Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Paragraph 5.28 of the Ministerial Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality.

Departmental Websites

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list  (a) the websites operated by his Department and  (b) the reports placed on the internet in March 2006, indicating in each case whether paper copies were also made available.

Derek Twigg: The following websites are operated by the Department for Transport and its Agencies:
	www.dft.gov.uk
	www.cfit.gov.uk
	www.cyclesense.net
	www.cvclesmart.org
	www.databases.dft.gov.uk/schools
	www.databases.dft.gov.uk/primary
	www.databases.dft.gov.uk/secondary
	www.databases.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety
	www.dft-eb-calculator.co.uk
	www.dptac.gov.uk
	www.drugdrive.com
	www.hedgehogs.gov.uk
	www.highwaycode.gov.uk
	www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk
	www.thinkseatbelts.com
	www.transportdirect.gov.uk
	www.transportdirect.info
	www.utmc.gov.uk
	www.webtag.org.uk
	 DfT Agency websites:
	www.mcga.gov.uk
	www.highways.gov.uk
	www.ha-research.gov.uk
	www.trafficmap.co.uk
	www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk
	www.dvla.gov.uk
	www.dvlaonline.gov.uk
	www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk
	www.dsa.gov.uk
	www.passplus.org.uk
	www.arrivealive.info
	www.ask-what-if.com
	www.theory-tests.co.uk
	www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk
	www.vca.gov.uk
	www.vosa.gov.uk
	We published 187 new documents on the Department's main website (www.dft.gov.uk) inMarch 2006.
	All major activity will be published in both forms and promoted to stakeholders and the press for wider dissemination. In contrast, some publications, particularly those aimed at niche/specialist audiences, may be published in electronic format only.
	It is the Department's policy to make documents available in paper and alternative formats on request. The DfT website also complies with Web Accessibility Initiative (WIA) AA accessibility standards.

Disabled Access

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to enforce the disability equality duty on train operating companies.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport is currently assessing its policies and functions, including those of the Rail Group, in preparation for producing its own Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan which will be published later this year.
	We have already achieved a great deal to ensure that our railways are more accessible to disabled people, for example:
	All new rail vehicles must be accessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users. Over 4,400 accessible vehicles have already entered service.
	All TOCs, and Network Rail, are now required to publish a Disabled People's Protection Policy which describes how they will provide a service to disabled passengers and make information about the accessible features of each of the stations they operate publicly available.
	As service providers, TOCs are obliged to remove any barriers that make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to access their services. This duty applies to infrastructure including stations and services such as booking facilities.
	In addition, we have launched our "Railways for All" Strategy which sets out how we will improve the accessibility of rail travel in Great Britain. The strategy is complemented by a £370 million Access for All fund to target improvements to the accessibility of stations through to 2015.
	Powers in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 will also have an effect in this area. In particular, they will give disabled people a "right of access" to transport vehicles?including rail vehicles, enable the setting of an "end date", of no later than 1 January 2020, by which time all rail vehicles will become regulated, enable accessibility regulations to be applied to older rail vehicles when they are refurbished and other measures such as the introduction of compliance certification. These provisions will be in place by the end of this year.

GNER (Leeds/London)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with GNER concerning its plans to increase the number of Leeds to London trains; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Network Rail has been required by the Office of Rail Regulation to undertake further timetabling work to establish how many additional GNER Leeds to London trains can be accommodated in addition to the extra Grand Central and Hull Trains services for which ORR recently granted access rights. The impact on GNER's timetable plans will be assessed when the result of Network Rail's work becomes available.

Humber Sea Terminals

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Harbour Revision Order for Humber Sea Terminals (Phase 3) to be signed; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I expect a decision on the order to be made within the next six weeks.

London Underground

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make representations to Transport for London to ensure that  (a) underground stations are not closed and  (b) services are not subject to significant restrictions unless planned work is carried out; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The closure of stations and suspension of services for maintenance works is an operational matter for London Underground, which transferred from central Government to Transport for London and the Mayor of London on 15 July 2003.

MOT Computer System

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions he has made to compensate garage owners for technical difficulties with the new MOT computer system.

Stephen Ladyman: There are two back-up provisions available to all garages in the MOT scheme designed to enable continuity of service to motorists in the event of technical difficulties to the MOT computer system. In addition to these, all of the 18,300 garages currently in the MOT scheme have been contacted and advised to write to the MOT service management team if they believe they have suffered financial loss as a result of disruptions to the MOT service. Each claim will be considered on its respective merits.

Night Flight Restrictions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce a decision in relation to the Night Flights Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 3 May 2006
	We have been considering the responses to the consultation on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports and will announce our final conclusions by the end of the month. However, in order to remove uncertainty on an element which has given rise to concerns, we announced yesterday that we have decided not to increase night-time movement limits at Heathrow during the period 2006 to 2012.

Railways

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had since the beginning of 2005 with  (a) directors and  (b) employees of Network Rail to discuss extra rail capacity for open access operators; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Secretary of State meets regularly with senior directors of Network Rail to discuss a range of issues, including improving the capacity of parts of the network for all train operators, both franchised and open access.

Railways

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with  (a) the Office of the Rail Regulator,  (b) potential bidders,  (c) Network Rail and  (d) Passenger Focus about the network capacity and financial implications of an open access operator operating on the route as part of the franchise specification process for the (i) South West, (ii) East Midlands, (iii) West Midlands and (iv) Cross Country franchise areas.

Derek Twigg: The Department has regular discussions with the ORR, Network Rail and Passenger Focus on issues relating to franchise specifications, and a briefing session for potential franchise bidders was held in April 2006.

Railways

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the rail franchise contracts that have been awarded in the last two years; and what the  (a) premium or subsidy payable and  (b) length of the contract is in each case.

Derek Twigg: The franchises awarded, their contract lengths, and details of their subsidy or premium are as follows:
	
		
			  Franchise  Started  Term (years)  Subsidy or premium 
			 One April 2004 10 £0.5 billion premium 
			 ScotRail October 2004 10 £1.9 billion subsidy 
			 Northern Rail December 2004 8.75 £2.434 billion subsidy 
			 ICEC April 2005 10 £1.36 billion premium 
			 Integrated Kent April 2006 8 £585 million subsidy 
			 Greater Western April 2006 10 £1.131 billion premium 
			 Thameslink/GN April 2006 9 £808 million premium

Railways

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the award of franchises on the East Coast rail line.

Derek Twigg: The following franchises have part of their operation on the East Coast Main Line: Virgin Cross Country, Northern Trains, Trans Pennine Express, First Capital Connect, ScotRail, Central Trains and GNER. Periodically these franchises will fall due for renewal. Replacement franchises will be awarded in accordance with DfTs guidance which is published on the Department's website.

Railways

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information a bidder is required to give about its services for disabled people within the tender evaluation process for rail franchising; and what weight is given to that information in awarding the franchise.

Derek Twigg: The evaluation of each bid incorporates assessing the evidence provided of how the franchisee intends to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) in delivering station and train services including provision of assistance to and consultation with impaired passengers, provision of tickets and training of staff.

Railways

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that Ivybridge has a rail service and timetable that is viable for  (a) commuters and  (b) students.

Derek Twigg: Under present plans Ivybridge will have five trains in each direction each weekday with effect from December 2006, at times to meet the needs of the majority of users. We are considering whether there are options for providing additional services.

Railways

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to announce how much will be available from the savings made by the reduction in the Sunderland-Newcastle rail service to help fund improvements to Sunderland railway stations.

Derek Twigg: Discussions between the Department for Transport and Nexus, the Tyne and Wear PTE, who are sponsoring proposed improvements to Sunderland railway station, are continuing. An announcement will be made in due course.

Railways

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) GNER trains,  (b) Virgin trains,  (c) Northern trains and  (d) First trains have been fined for late running of trains in each year since the introduction of the fines.

Derek Twigg: The penalties for poor performance paid by franchised train operators, together with bonuses paid where performance has been better than each company's benchmark, are itemised in the following table.
	
		
			  Incentive net regime payments by financial year 
			  £000 
			  Train operator  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Anglia Railways 303 302 288 (221) (329) (3,160) — — 
			 Cardiff Railways 298 (1,423) (59) (73) 217 — — — 
			 Central Trains 1,675 (1,651) (384) (8,804) (9,633) (10,910) (6,838) (11,348) 
			 Chiltern Railways (117) (276) (115) (467) (484) (846) (397) (189) 
			 Connex South Central/ South Central 764 1,118 (1,020) (9,248) (5,978) (6,342) (12,828) (12,118) 
			 Connex South Eastern (974) (1,629) (2,040) (11,229) (5,746) (6,897) (2,895) — 
			 South Eastern Trains — — — — — — (2,998) (2,501) 
			 Cross Country — — — — — — — — 
			 Gatwick Express — — — — — — — — 
			 Great Eastern Railway (122) 541 325 (7,744) (5,579) (1,525) — — 
			 Great Northern Eastern Railway — — — — — — (2,902) (2,447) 
			 Great Western — (2.452) (2,175) (1,978) (5,408) (2,610) (2,020) (1,058) 
			 Island Line (24) (14) (20) (41) (9) (12) (17) (25) 
			 LTS Rail (later c2c Rail) 1,391 747 34 (477) (2,540) (430) 371 1,844 
			 Merseyrail Electrics 178 (114) (346) (796) (641) 276 — — 
			 Midland Mainline — — (18) (15) 87 — — — 
			 North Western Trains 2,078 238 1,982 (2,256) (3,455) (2,536) (1,448) (540) 
			 Regional Railways North East/Northern Spirit 1,331 1,761 625 (8,337) (7,611) (3,729) (1,111) (741) 
			 Northern — — — — — — — — 
			 Scotrail 6,986 6,280 5,402 (5,284) (9,999) (8,654) (2,820) (2,268) 
			 First Scotrail — — — — — — — (178) 
			 Silverlink 844 (199) (254) (2,879) (2,854) (447) (90) 294 
			 South West Trains (1,281) (3,933) (3,657) (10,648) (12,776) (11,471) (10,186) 6,726 
			 Thames Trains/First Great Western Link (572) (2,224) (2,046) (4,291) (4,069) (4,173) (3,990) (4,700) 
			 Thameslink (49) (270) (668) (4,337) (3,325) (2,904) (2,844) (6,473) 
			 TransPennine Express — — — — — — (50) (2,817) 
			 Wales and West 664 (378) 1,776 (4,497) (1,577) — — — 
			 West Anglia Great Northern (346) (452) (849) (8,833) (8,359) (6,380) (2,782) (1,767) 
			 West Coast Trains — — (67) (15) (12) (88) (476) (80) 
			 Wales and Borders Trains/Arriva Trains Wales — — — — (1,329) (2,425) 1,386 179 
			 Wessex Trains — — — — (1,115) (3,354) (2,094) (1,398) 
			 Total 13,027 (4,028) (3.286) (92,4701 (92,524) (78,617) (57,029) (41,6051 
			  Notes: 1. Figures obtained from published financial reports. 2. Brackets indicate receipt from the Operator. 3. Roundings can result in the total not being the same as previous published total. 4. Wales and West Railway and Cardiff Railway were superseded by Wales and Borders Trains and Wessex Trains on 14 October 2001. 5. 2004-05 represents the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005, with the exception of Arriva Trains Northern, which is from 1 April 2004 to 11 December 2004; First North Western, which is from 1 April 2004 to 11 December 2004; Northern, which is from 12 December 2004 to 31 March 2005; Scotrail, which is from 1 April 2004 to 16 October 2004; and First Scotrail, 17 October 2004 to 31 March 2005. 6. 2003-04 represents the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, with the exception of Arriva Trains Wales, which is from 8 December 2003 to 31 March 2004; South Eastern Trains, which is from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2004; TransPennine Express, which is from 2 February 2004 to. 31 March 2004. 7. Merseyrail no longer franchised from July 2003.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when HM Railway Inspectorate last visited Llansamlet railway station; and what conclusions were drawn from the visit.

Derek Twigg: The Health and Safety Executive's HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) last visited Llansamlet station on 27 January 2006. HMRI inspected work being undertaken by a Network Rail contractor, to upgrade railway signalling and telecommunication infrastructure near the station. HMRI concluded that no action needed to be taken.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken at Llansamlet railway station  (a) to improve passenger security,  (b) to reduce vandalism,  (c) to improve passenger facilities,  (d) to provide on station ticketing machines and  (e) to provide CCTV as part of the Arriva Trains Wales franchise.

Derek Twigg: There are no current plans by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) for improvements to passenger facilities and security at Llansamlet railway station. ATW do have a regular programme of station patrols and graffiti removal.

Railways

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to incorporate the Westcountry coast line between Exeter and Plymouth in the Trans European Network.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The line between Exeter and Plymouth is already defined as part of the Trans European Railway Network.

Railways

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston railway line.

Derek Twigg: The Borderlands Rail Study assessed electrification of all or parts of the Wrexham to Bidston line and integrating it with the Merseyrail Electrics network. It also considered the case for extensions to the existing diesel operation and new stations at Beechwood, Woodchurch and Deeside Park. Merseytravel, together with neighbouring authorities and the North Wales local authority consortium Taith, are considering the results of the study.
	Subject to all available funding sources and discussions with interested parties, Merseytravel will consider whether a scheme is suitable to promote for major scheme funding as part of the second local transport plan for Merseyside covering the period 2006-11. The specification and funding of the Arriva Trains Wales service between Wrexham. and Bidston is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Railways

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maximum speed regularly attained by  (a) passenger and  (b) freight trains is on the North Wales coast line between Chester and Holyhead.

Derek Twigg: The maximum line speed for passenger train services along the North Wales Mainline is 90mph and for freight trains it is set at 60mph.

Railways

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport how many  (a) incidents of objects thrown at or dropped on moving railway vehicles, (b) derailments,  (c) incidents of livestock wandering onto the track,  (d) collisions between moving railway vehicles and  (e) suicides were recorded on the North Wales coast line between Chester and Holyhead ineach of the last three years for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. This is an operational matter for Network Rail and I have asked them to reply directly to my hon. Member.

Sea Defences

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been allocated to maintain the sea defences along the stretch of railway track at Dawlish in each of the next three years; and how much was spent in each of the last three years.

Derek Twigg: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. I have asked Network Rail to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Ship-to-ship Oil Transfers

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the plans to regulate ship to ship oil transfer are on schedule; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz) of 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 1118-19W. My officials are still working towards the deadline outlined therein, ie to consult in the summer with a view to secondary legislation which will regulate ship-to-ship transfers within the limits of the UK's territorial sea coming into
	force later in the year.

Ship-to-ship Oil Transfers

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic effects of ship to ship oil transfer on  (a) HM Treasury,  (b) ports authorities and  (c) surrounding local communities.

Stephen Ladyman: In accordance with the Cabinet Office guidance, the Department will prepare a regulatory impact assessment, which will address economic factors, to accompany the secondary legislation which will regulate ship-to-ship transfers within the limits of the UK's territorial sea.

Taxi Access (Disabled People)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Government will publish taxi access regulations under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Derek Twigg: We do not yet have a timetable for introduction of taxi accessibility regulations but the current situation is that local licensing authorities remain free to introduce their own accessibility policies and many have done so already. We are currently developing a technical specification to set the design parameters for accessible taxis. To assist this process, the Department held a seminar in June 2005 for stakeholders from industry, organisations representing disabled people and licensing authorities to discuss the complex issues around taxi accessibility. The views expressed at the seminar will be used to shape a consultation package.

Transport Regulations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of  (a) Regulation 16,  (b) Regulation 18 and  (c) Schedule 3 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of these Regulations.

Stephen Ladyman: The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 as amended, including Regulations 16, 18 and Schedule 3, are operating as normal and I have received no representations about their operation. I occasionally get enquiries or suggestions for amendments to the Regulations. Each request is considered on its merits and may result in changes to the Regulations. The most recent amendments to the specific Regulations mentioned were made in 2001 and came into force on 1 May 2002.
	It has been suggested that consolidation of the Regulations would be useful. The Department has sympathy with this view but does not see such a consolidation as a high priority at present.

Transport Regulations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act.

Stephen Ladyman: The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, as amended, are operating as normal and I have received no representations about their operation. I occasionally get suggestions or enquiries about amendments or additions to the Regulations. Recent enquiries have included requests for the Regulations to include special retro-reflective markings for the emergency services' vehicles, to permit red lights to be used by emergency and recovery vehicles and to require the fitment of retro-reflective tape to trucks. Each request is considered on its merits and this may result in changes to the Regulations; the latest amendments were made last year.
	The Department is at present planning further amendments to the Regulations. These would permit the distinctive retro-reflective liveries on vehicles used by the emergency services, such as the blue and yellow block pattern used by the police, which are not allowed under the existing Regulations. This change would remove the need for the individual temporary exemptions that are currently issued to each service.

SCOTLAND

Joint Ministerial Committee

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Joint Ministerial Committee last met.

Douglas Alexander: The Joint Ministerial Committee is the policy responsibility of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The last plenary meeting of the JMC was in October 2002.

Manufacturing

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the future of Scotland's manufacturing industry.

Douglas Alexander: Prospects for the future of the Scottish manufacturing sector are now very positive with a number of reports of growth in output, demand and employment in the first quarter of this year.

Energy

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that the energy review takes account of the views of the energy industry and energy consumers in Scotland.

Douglas Alexander: A wide range of Scottish interests have contributed to the consultation process in connection with the Energy Review. My hon. Friend, the Energy Minister, and his review team are in regular contact with the devolved Administrations.

Energy

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Trade and Industry on the commercial development of tidal energy in the Pentland Firth; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: Scotland Office Ministers and officials have discussions with their counterparts in the Department of Trade and Industry on a wide range of energy-related topics.
	Government support development of tidal and other marine energy technologies by assistance for the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney and through the50 million Marine Renewables Development Fund.

Personal Debt

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on levels of personal debt in Scotland.

David Cairns: Personal debt data is collected on a UK basis by the Bank of England. The UK Government, in partnership with the Scottish Executive, is however committed to addressing problems that may arise from over-indebtedness, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Barnett Formula

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received on the socio-economic effects of the Barnett formula in Scotland.

Douglas Alexander: I have received no representations on the socio-economic effects of the Barnett formula. The Government are content with current arrangements and have no plans to replace or to review the Barnett formula, which has delivered fair, stable and transparent settlements for Scotland under successive administrations for almost 30 years.

Voting Rights

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the voting rights of hon. Members representing Scottish seats on issues which do not affect Scotland.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) during Scottish oral questions on 28 February 2006.

TV Licences

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the BBC and Cabinet colleagues on television licences in Scotland.

Douglas Alexander: I intend to have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues affecting Scotland. TV licensing is a matter for the BBC.

Loan Sharks

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the work of the loan sharks pilot scheme in Scotland.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry. I recently met the manager of the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit, based in Glasgow, to discuss this groundbreaking initiative that tackles the problem of illegal loan sharks.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Sexual Offences (Anonymity)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Home Department on anonymity during court proceedings for those accused of sexual offences.

Harriet Harman: I have had many discussions with Home Office Ministers about sexual offences since I became Solicitor General in 2001 and since 2005 in my role as Minister of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. There are no plans to change the rules to provide anonymity for those accused of sexual offences.

Compulsory Voting

Ann McKechin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department has considered recent studies on the merits of compulsory voting; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have noted with interest the findings of the report just published by the Institute for Public Policy Research on this subject, and will wish to give them careful consideration.

Electoral Fraud

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the incidence of electoral fraud.

Bridget Prentice: Although instances of fraud often get prominent coverage in the media, it should be put in context, as actual proven cases are few and far between. That is not to say we are complacent, as the legislative and other action we have taken in recent years demonstrates.

Court Houses (Private Finance Initiative)

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court houses have been built by means of a private finance initiative in the last five years.

Harriet Harman: There have been 15 courthouses built under the private finance initiative in the last five years.

Court Modernisation (East Anglia)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she next expects to meet representatives of the lay magistracy to discuss the modernisation of courts in East Anglia.

Harriet Harman: I have no current plans to meet representatives of the local magistracy in East Anglia to discuss the modernisation of courts in East Anglia. I am of course ready to do so if that would prove useful.

Asylum Seekers (Local Franchises)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what criteria the Legal Services Commission will use to award local franchises for services to asylum seekers.

Vera Baird: The Commission may award a contract where a supplier has obtained its Specialist Quality Mark, has an accredited supervisor and intends to provide legal services in an area of unmet need. Next year the Commission may introduce a contract performance requirement for 40 per cent. success rate at appeal.

Electoral Turnout

Julie Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps his Department is taking to increase voter turn-out.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have embarked on a number of initiatives to promote participation in democracy. It is the role of The Electoral Commission to promote participation in elections and we fully support them in this work.

Human Rights Act

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on the applicability of the Human Rights Act 1998 to residential homes for the elderly in the context of private providers of public functions.

Bridget Prentice: As recommended by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the Government issued guidance last year to local authorities on the use of contractual conditions to ensure that services delivered on behalf of the local authority are provided in a way that takes account of the Human Rights Act 1998.

NGOs (Financial Initiatives)

Andrew Love: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what initiatives his Department and its non-departmental bodies support to promote  (a) financial education,  (b) financial advice,  (c) financial inclusion and  (d) financial capability; which organisations are involved in delivering each initiative; and how much funding is provided for each by (i) his Department and its non-departmental public bodies, (ii) other Government Departments, (iii) the private sector and (iv) the voluntary sector.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (an NDPB of the Department for Constitutional Affairs) is working with the Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Work and Pensions as part of a national agenda to tackle rising levels of debt. The Commission is currently piloting a number of innovative new advice services to help people facing financial exclusion, following a 6 million grant from the Treasury's Financial Inclusion Fund.
	During 2004-05 the Legal Services Commission spent approximately 17.5 million on specialist debt advice through its contracts with both solicitors and not for profit agencies.
	The Public Guardianship Office is an Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs responsible for ensuring the financial well-being of people who lack the capacity to manage their own financial affairs. It does this by supporting the Court of Protection (CoP) in the appointment of Receivers, and through the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA). The PGO also undertake checks to establish that appointed Receivers are carrying out their duties in an appropriate manner.
	Exceptionally, when no suitable relative or friend wishes to act as a Receiver, the PGO try to find someone else to take on this role, or as a last resort, the Chief Executive of the PGO may be appointed.
	In carry out its role the PGO provides practical guidance for people appointed by the CoP to make financial decisions for people who lack mental capacity to do so themselves. The PGO also undertakes awareness initiatives to inform the public on how to make provision in the event that someone may lose their mental capabilitydue to dementia, illness or accidentand may no longer be able to make their own decisions.
	The PGO currently recovers 82 per cent. of its full costs from fees, which results in approximately a net cost to DCA of 5 million of which 1 million is in respect to fee remission. This work is not an 'initiative' as such, as it is part of the core work of the Agency.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The answer is as follows:
	 Recruitment below the senior civil service
	My Department does not hold this information centrally and it is, therefore, not possible to collate this without incurring disproportionate costs. For DCA recruitment below the SCS we do not routinely use search or selection agencies. All recruitment is managed in house in accordance with the civil service commissioners code.
	 Senior civil service recruitment
	No central information is held about the costs of campaigns as individual business areas pay their own recruitment costs. However, during the last five years we ran 24 campaigns to recruit 39 Senior Civil Servants. The average cost for each of these campaigns would be approximately 40,000, which includes the advertising and assessment centre costs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Portcullis House

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans the Commission has to review the use of voice messages in the lifts in Portcullis House.

Nick Harvey: There is currently a programme to ensure that all lifts on the parliamentary estate comply with disability best practice. The voice messages in the lifts in Portcullis House are being reviewed as part of this programme. Messages will cover the opening and closing of the doors, the direction of travel and the floor at which a lift stops.

House Expenditure

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the procedures are for approving expenditure by the House of between 100,000 and1 million; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Approval procedures and financial delegations to officials are set out in the House of Commons Resource Framework, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Significant investment decisions?over 500,000 on works and 150,000 on non-works?require a full business case and formal approval by the Clerk of the House. Decisions on overall funding and on major individual expenditure proposals are overseen by the Commission, advised as appropriate by the Finance and Services Committee.

Recycling

Philip Hollobone: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the Commission has taken to increase the recycling of office waste on the House estate.

Nick Harvey: Since the beginning of the year recycling of glass, cans and plastic bottles is being introduced on a trial basis in Portcullis House (Atrium and photocopier rooms), outside the Terrace Cafeteria and in 7 Millbank. These trials will highlight any issues and allow them to be addressed before the scheme is rolled out, first into outbuildings and then into the Palace.
	All small offices should now have two waste bins; one for general waste and another for paper only. Larger offices and open-plan offices have general waste bins and a large cardboard bin for paper only. General waste and paper is collected separately, with the general waste sent for incineration and the paper sent for recycling.
	In addition, a new waste management contract is currently being let. The specification of this contract sets targets for continuous improvement in recycling throughout the life of the contract.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Back-Bench Debates

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to allocate parliamentary time on the floor of the House for debates on motions to be chosen by Back-Bench hon. Members.

Jack Straw: There are no current plans to do this but the Procedure Committee is looking at the handling of Early Day Motions at the moment and I will of course consider their report with interest.

Parliamentary Questions

Ben Chapman: To ask the Leader of the House what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues regarding tabling of parliamentary questions during recesses.

Jack Straw: I remain open to representations onthis issue.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

English Teaching

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of posts for teaching English in secondary schools are  (a) vacant and  (b) held by someone without a first degree in English.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 May 2006
	Provisional information on teacher vacancies in secondary schools by subject for January 2006 was published in table 6 of the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release, on 27 April 2006. This publication is available on the department's website at the following URL: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000653/index.shtml
	This shows that the provisional vacancy rate for English in January 2006 was 0.8 per cent. down from 0.9 per cent. in 2005. The overall secondary classroom vacancy rate in secondary schools was 0.7 per cent. in January 2006.
	Information on the number of teachers teaching English in secondary schools by post A level qualification was last collected in November 2002. This was published in Statistics of Education, School Workforce in England Volume, 2005 edition, on26 January 2006. Tables D8 and D9 refer. This publication is available on the department's website at the following URL: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000633/index.shtml
	This showed that an estimated 73 per cent. of secondary teachers teaching English held a degree-level (1) qualification in the subject. However, they delivered an estimated 83 per cent. of the curriculum time.
	Copies of these publications have been placed in the House of Common's Library.
	(1) Degree level qualification includes degree, B.Ed and PGCE.

Examination Results

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) GCSE,  (b) A-level and  (c) key stage results were for the 100 (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools with the  (A) highest and  (B) lowest percentage of children receiving free school meals in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Extended School Provision

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available for extended school provision for children in  (a) Tameside metropolitan borough and  (b) Stockport metropolitan borough.

Beverley Hughes: Over 2003 to 2008 we are making available 840 million nationally to support the development of extended services accessed in or through schools. 110 million of this was allocated in 2005-06. Tameside local authority received 500,135, and Stockport local authority received 539,129.
	Of the 680 million to be allocated across 2006 to 2008, 250 million will go direct to schools through the School Standards Grant. The formula for announcing each school's allocation for 2006-07 was announced on 7 December. The remaining 430 million will be distributed to local authorities through the Standards Fund and the General Sure Start Grant. Of this, Tameside local authority will receive 821,066 in 2006-07 and 1,006,162 in 2007-08. In the same period, Stockport local authority will receive funding of 908,857 in 2006-07 and 1,056,525 in 2007-08. Funding will be released to schools in accordance with each local authority's strategy for extended services.

Foreign Languages

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unfilled vacancies there are for teachers of modern foreign languages in secondary schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 May 2006
	Provisional January 2006 figures released in Statistical First Release 18/2006 show that there were 40 language vacancies in local authority maintained secondary schools in England. This equates to a vacancy rate of 0.3 per cent., down from 0.5 per cent. in 2005. The overall provisional January 2006 vacancy rate for secondary schools (all subjects) is 0.7 per cent. compared to 0.9 per cent. in January 2005.
	This publication is available on the Department's website at the following URL:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000653/index.shtml

GCSEs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children educated at home achieved five GCSEs graded at A* to C by the age of 16 in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 May 2006
	The Department is unable to distinguish the GCSE results of children educated at home.

Head Teachers

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools did not have a permanent head teacher in the course of each of the past 10 years;
	(2)  how many temporary head teachers have been in post in each of the past 10 years.

Jim Knight: Information is not collected on the number of schools that were without a permanent head at any time during a year.
	Some information on full time temporary filled head teacher posts is available from the annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies held in January each year. This only covers posts that were temporarily filled on the date of the survey.
	Table 9 of Statistical First Release 18/2006 provides a snapshot of temporarily filled head teacher posts as at January for each year available. This publication is available on the department's website at the following URL: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000653/index.shtml
	A copy has been placed in the House of Common's Library.

Healthy School Status

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of schools in each local authority have achieved healthy school status.

Jim Knight: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Local authority  Schools achieving health school status( 1)  (percentage) 
			  East Midlands  
			 Nottinghamshire 47.2 
			 Derbyshire 59.4 
			 Northamptonshire 39.2 
			 City of Nottingham 38.9 
			 Lincolnshire 31.2 
			 Leicester City 34.8 
			 Rutland 81.0 
			 City of Derby 90.6 
			 Leicestershire 42.7 
			   
			  East of England  
			 Norfolk 21.4 
			 Hertfordshire 33.0 
			 Luton 38.3 
			 Thurrock 43.5 
			 Suffolk 14.2 
			 Cambridgeshire 39.9 
			 Essex 47.6 
			 Bedfordshire 23.2 
			 City of Peterborough 66.7 
			 Southend-on-Sea 43.9 
			   
			  London  
			 Barnet 61.4 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 66.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 21.7 
			 Harrow 41.7 
			 Corporation of London 50.0 
			 Redbridge 35.5 
			 Haringey 50.6 
			 Lewisham 32.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 32.4 
			 Merton 43.6 
			 Ealing 38.0 
			 Islington 11.3 
			 Enfield 67.0 
			 Newham 31.2 
			 Hounslow 63.9 
			 Bromley 37.9 
			 Brent 27.8 
			 Westminster 22.8 
			 Croydon 12.6 
			 Wandsworth 48.8 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 52.8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 61.1 
			 Waltham Forest 39.1 
			 Camden 26.2 
			 Hillingdon 61.1 
			 Southwark 28.2 
			 Tower Hamlets 21.2 
			 Havering 47.7 
			 Lambeth 25.6 
			 Sutton 37.1 
			 Greenwich 56.3 
			 Bexley 38.8 
			 Hackney 14.9 
			   
			  North East  
			 North Tyneside 84.5 
			 Durham 75.8 
			 Darlington 64.1 
			 Stockton on Tees 28.0 
			 South Tyneside 58.1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 32.3 
			 Sunderland 46.2 
			 Hartlepool 57.5 
			 Gateshead 93.8 
			 Middlesbrough 53.1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 80.2 
			 Northumberland 57.5 
			  North West  
			 Liverpool 92.6 
			 Blackpool 34.9 
			 Knowsley 51.3 
			 Salford 50.9 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 45.0 
			 Stockport 96.8 
			 Oldham 23.9 
			 Cheshire 50.3 
			 Halton 82.9 
			 Rochdale 58.2 
			 Warrington 44.8 
			 Bury 44.6 
			 Sefton 67.2 
			 Lancashire 44.2 
			 Wigan 75.9 
			 Cumbria 46.3 
			 Manchester 35.2 
			 Wirral 55.4 
			 St. Helens 74.0 
			 Trafford 41.4 
			 Bolton 39.7 
			 Tameside 43.1 
			   
			  South East  
			 Buckinghamshire 25.4 
			 Slough 86.0 
			 The Medway Towns 56.4 
			 Oxfordshire 28.8 
			 Wokingham 55.1 
			 West Berkshire 39.8 
			 Brighton and Hove 60.8 
			 Milton Keynes 14.0 
			 Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead 51.8 
			 East Sussex 55.4 
			 Isle of Wight 76.4 
			 Bracknell Forest 84.4 
			 Southampton 39.8 
			 Surrey 23.5 
			 Portsmouth 51.4 
			 West Sussex 56.2 
			 Hampshire 51.9 
			 Kent 26.0 
			 Reading 61.3 
			   
			  South West  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 70.4 
			 Somerset 53.0 
			 Wiltshire 36.0 
			 South Gloucester 60.3 
			 Bournemouth 75.0 
			 Dorset 45.7 
			 Poole 80.0 
			 Cornwall 51.7 
			 Devon 24.7 
			 Gloucestershire 64.0 
			 City of Bristol 41.6 
			 North Somerset 53.1 
			 Torbay 86.7 
			 Swindon 78.6 
			 City of Plymouth 57.4 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 Solihull 56.5 
			 Walsall 40.4 
			 Worcestershire 30.5 
			 Shropshire 26.9 
			 Wolverhampton 32.2 
			 Staffordshire 45.7 
			 Birmingham 81.6 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 57.0 
			 Herefordshire 17.3 
			 Coventry 32.5 
			 Warwickshire 32.1 
			 Sandwell 51.6 
			 Dudley 69.2 
			 Telford and Wrekin 32.6 
			   
			  Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 Kirklees 43.6 
			 North East Lincolnshire 47.4 
			 Sheffield 35.1 
			 Calderdale 68.3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 53.1 
			 Bradford 39.7 
			 Leeds 50.4 
			 North Lincolnshire 70.6 
			 Wakefield 37.9 
			 City of York 21.9 
			 Barnsley 62.0 
			 North Yorkshire 34.4 
			 Doncaster 52.3 
			 Kingston upon Hull 72.0 
			 Rotherham 93.5 
			   
			 England 45.8 
			 (1) Criteria for achieving healthy school status was modified in September 2005

Information Sharing

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of the UK population aged 15 years and under that will be registered on the Information Sharing Index;
	(2)  at what age children will be  (a) added to and (b) removed from the Information Sharing Index;
	(3)  for what period data on children will be held on the Information Sharing Index;
	(4)  at what age children will be registered on the Child Population Register;
	(5)  what the earliest date is on which the Child Population Register could be established;
	(6)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on  (a) information sharing, (b) technology sharing and  (c) information transfer between current and future databases operated by the Departments;
	(7)  who will be responsible for providing data to the Child Population Register;
	(8)  whether registration on the Child Population Register will be compulsory;
	(9)  at what age individuals' data will be removed from the Child Population Register;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in the  (a) set-up cost and  (b) annual running costs of the Information Sharing Index to upgrade it to a Child Population Register;
	(11)  what funds his Department has spent to date in connection with the Child Population Register, broken down by main budget heading;
	(12)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population aged 15 years and under that will be included on the Child Population Register.

Beverley Hughes: In relation to questions 67115, 67025 and 67026, the Information Sharing Index will contain records of all children in England. Current estimates from the Government Actuary's Department, giving 2006 projections based on 2003 figures, indicate that there are approximately 9.5 million children in England aged 15 and under, and approximately 11.5 million children in the UK aged 15 and under. We estimate therefore that the England index will contain records of approximately 82 per cent. of children aged 15 and under in the UK. Decisions on whether to establish an index in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are for the devolved Administrations.
	An index record will be created for each child at birth and maintained until the child's 18th birthday. To help ensure that the transition from youth to adult services is managed smoothly, it may also be desirable to make provision to retain information on the index on an individual basis for young adults with multiple needs, (for example care leavers and young people with disabilities), beyond their 18th birthday, with their consent.
	In line with the Data Protection Act, information will be retained on the index for as long as it is accurate and relevant, for example, practitioner contact details will be available for the period they are involved with the child and for a year beyond the end of that involvement. This will enable contact to be made with those practitioners currently and most recently involved with a child.
	In relation to questions 67039, 67044, 67046, 67047, 67048, 67050, 67051 and 67052, the objectives of the index remain as agreed by Parliament when the Children Act 2004 was passed. These are to support the duties on local authorities and other partners to co-operate to promote the well-being of children and to safeguard and improve their welfare. There is, therefore, no provision for a Child Population Register in the funding we have made available for the index.
	We have accepted the recommendation in the final report of the Citizen Information Project that we should consider the scope for a Child Population Register. That consideration will be informed by an assessment of whether there are sufficient additional efficiency and effectiveness benefits. No decision has been taken to establish such a register. A Child Population Register would have wider objectives than the index and would therefore require new primary legislation. A clear case would have to be made for it.
	My Department has not undertaken scoping or design work in relation to a Child Population Register. There are therefore no proposals for the ages at which children might be registered and their details removed, when a register might be established, who would be responsible for providing data, whether registration would be compulsory or voluntary, or what proportion of the population aged 15 and under would be included. My Department has so far spent and allocated no funds in relation to a register.
	In relation to question 67045, officials from my Department and the Home Office are in regular contact on a range of information sharing issues with the aim of improving efficiency and the effectiveness of public services. These include:
	the cross-Government guidance for practitioners in children's services on information sharing in respect of children and young people, published on 6 April 2006;
	securing cross-Government agreement to the way forward for implementing the Information Sharing Index on the basis of the objectives set out in the Children Act 2004, and confirming that there are no operational dependencies between plans for the index and for the National Identity Register;
	how ID cards and the National Identity Register might be used to support business processes and improve customer services in the education and skills sector;
	the establishment of the new vetting and barring scheme for people working with children and vulnerable adults which is set out in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill currently before Parliament;
	how customer service in the student loans system could be improved through confirming the identity of students directly with the Identity and Passport Service; and
	how projects in each Department are addressing the common technical challenges of large data systems, with a view to sharing learning.

Pupil Exclusion

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much each local education authority spent on  (a) excluded pupils and (b) pupils in (i) pupil referral units, (ii) behaviour support implementation programmes, (iii) inclusion, administration, assessment and co-ordination programmes, (iv) behaviour support plans and (v) other programmes intended to avoid exclusion of pupils in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The DfES does not hold the information requested, as details of expenditure on behaviour-specific measures are not collected centrally. However, the following table details planned spend for each local authority in 2005/06 on: excluded pupils; pupil referral units; behaviour support services; behaviour support plans; support for inclusion; and, SEN administration and assessment. The data are taken from Section 52 budget collections.
	
		
			  The Education (Budget Statements) (England) Regulations 2005. Budgeted net expenditure by local authorities during 2005-06. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 27 April 2006. 
			  LEA number  Local authority name  2.4.3 Excluded pupils( 1)  1.3.1 Pupil referral units( 2)  1.3.2 Behaviour support services( 3) 
			  England 12,776,710 227,793,614 84,908,393 
			  
			 201 City of London 4,300 0 0 
			 202 Camden 120,000 1,236,817 501,227 
			 203 Greenwich 69,570 2,409,750 1,310,970 
			 204 Hackney 27,518 1,976,119 142,125 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 19,287 1,594,894 36,287 
			 206 Islington 0 2,043,509 81,618 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 100,241 1,325,912 110,527 
			 208 Lambeth 0 2,019,284 128,995 
			 209 Lewisham 42,086 2,709,378 348,859 
			 210 Southwark 27,000 2,110,030 1,638,600 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 31,894 2,166,079 219,459 
			 212 Wandsworth 113,362 1,304,865 25,567 
			 213 Westminster 44,900 436,300 0 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 58,870 880,966 350,400 
			 302 Barnet 0 1,017,638 0 
			 303 Bexley 11,000 1,502,000 364,000 
			 304 Brent 256,000 1,292,000 63,000 
			 305 Bromley 49,156 828,755 286,945 
			 306 Croydon 121,182 3,944,040 0 
			 307 Ealing 165,400 2,369,400 689,100 
			 308 Enfield 87,689 1,084,750 473,598 
			 309 Haringey 27,078 2,172,666 995,754 
			 310 Harrow 10,288 694,645 131,234 
			 311 Havering 30,893 915,180 513,490 
			 312 Hillingdon 42,030 73,323 195,071 
			 313 Hounslow 75,036 1,048,935 288,424 
			 314 Kingston-upon-Thames 59,690 386,765 144,666 
			 315 Merton 26,188 864,057 114,137 
			 316 Newham 0 3,248,868 466,116 
			 317 Redbridge 60,665 780,080 283,435 
			 318 Richmond-upon-Thames 53,300 664,300 146,800 
			 319 Sutton 19,614 768,034 399,458 
			 320 Waltham Forest 183,367 678,533 520,424 
			 330 Birmingham 256,560 5,595,720 690,633 
			 331 Coventry 61,322 818,752 292,127 
			 332 Dudley 235,546 2,258,734 148,478 
			 333 Sandwell 0 2,621,200 431,800 
			 334 Solihull 53,024 741,428 0 
			 335 Walsall 0 925,015 797,709 
			 336 Wolverhampton 80,700 2,820,200 1,379,700 
			 340 Knowsley 5,889 1,572,474 409,943 
			 341 Liverpool 704,179 1,557,993 843,691 
			 342 St. Helens 45,198 1,366,927 49,094 
			 343 Sefton 3,670 527,990 887,420 
			 344 Wirral 10,200 917,300 21,700 
			 350 Bolton 53,763 1,429,171 689,500 
			 351 Bury 0 1,693,100 75,300 
			 352 Manchester 594,090 952,795 2,472,167 
			 353 Oldham 11,631 938,581 1,239,990 
			 354 Rochdale 29,748 1,667,836 298,981 
			 355 Salford 89,032 2,242,012 144,578 
			 356 Stockport 54,803 2,180,329 750,456 
			 357 Tameside 0 1,039,150 287,780 
			 358 Trafford 0 432,164 264,097 
			 359 Wigan 142,738 730,306 378,801 
			 370 Barnsley 55,000 1,327,470 434,790 
			 371 Doncaster 107,970 2,645,840 1,414,440 
			 372 Rotherham 32,008 1,297,515 1,466,365 
			 373 Sheffield 10,226 2,373,669 688,569 
			 380 Bradford 83,708 2,380,356 550,514 
			 381 Calderdale 9,256 0 490,531 
			 382 Kirklees 58,200 1,482,000 462,500 
			 383 Leeds 53,560 4,129,050 965,950 
			 384 Wakefield 0 634,381 870,973 
			 390 Gateshead 117,820 752,106 440,876 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 81,670 1,067,264 614,000 
			 392 North Tyneside 56,174 990,122 201,122 
			 393 South Tyneside 0 738,734 0 
			 394 Sunderland 171,296 1,134,469 349,555 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 1,500 0 5,508 
			 800 Bath and NE Somerset 42,123 0 31,643 
			 801 City of Bristol 81,939 2,034,901 569,001 
			 802 North Somerset 8,080 1,286,205 100,200 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 81,000 1,303,000 419,000 
			 805 Hartlepool 52,299 827,027 313,931 
			 806 Middlesbrough 23,881 2,316,725 332,938 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 77,359 493,666 285,900 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 31,717 1,198,292 407,252 
			 810 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 39,652 2,081,488 43,982 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 80,794 533,500 540,848 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 0 1,033,134 44,291 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 20,614 1,119,133 167,063 
			 815 North Yorkshire 208,658 705,699 0 
			 816 York 101,876 605,404 395,375 
			 820 Bedfordshire 154,237 1,129,267 148,305 
			 821 Luton 188,115 1,020,769 207,553 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 0 1,908,183 296,628 
			 826 Milton Keynes 79,630 747,648 1,122,608 
			 830 Derbyshire 196,296 2,025,609 3,717,365 
			 831 Derby 942 2,535,538 230,616 
			 835 Dorset 7,300 2,455,499 354,254 
			 836 Poole 17,667 415,365 21,886 
			 837 Bournemouth 45,750 663,096 220,820 
			 840 Durham 137,478 668,909 844,941 
			 841 Darlington 9,748 418,761 290,380 
			 845 East Sussex 16,586 7,254 154,930 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 2,940 100,000 30,570 
			 850 Hampshire 535,000 4,492,000 1,369,000 
			 851 Portsmouth 57,780 1,358,749 416,197 
			 852 Southampton 132,100 1,569,500 986,800 
			 855 Leicestershire 186,640 1,601,630 803,088 
			 856 Leicester City 125,800 2,438,800 161,800 
			 857 Rutland 4,892 0 0 
			 860 Staffordshire 204,310 2,241,470 1,274,750 
			 861 Stoke 25,000 1,093,383 207,710 
			 865 Wiltshire 10,568 2,428,851 725,877 
			 866 Swindon 0 385,805 896,567 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 121,251 571,717 232,774 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 522,366 297,416 
			 869 West Berkshire 18,019 914,267 294,323 
			 870 Reading 78,490 1,176,427 362,838 
			 871 Slough 72,691 665,093 149,970 
			 872 Wokingham 40,401 610,840 207,994 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 36,484 2,133,683 2,303,625 
			 874 City of Peterborough 5,605 1,352,063 49,402 
			 875 Cheshire 3,112 163,207 1,150,909 
			 876 Halton 186,565 654,850 17,590 
			 877 Warrington 11,057 315,295 274,555 
			 878 Devon 26,000 1,597,000 399,000 
			 879 City of Plymouth 35,534 985,071 61,236 
			 880 Torbay 28,616 736,274 175,071 
			 881 Essex 37,980 2,625,434 2,323,695 
			 882 Southend 33,116 489,104 271,553 
			 883 Thurrock 56,644 1,472,893 0 
			 884 Herefordshire 29,888 722,228 107,325 
			 885 Worcestershire 236,354 2,752,589 553,070 
			 886 Kent 184,403 3,818,047 3,282,252 
			 887 Medway 54,401 1,658,268 1,023,769 
			 888 Lancashire 369,680 10,759,755 4,515,923 
			 889 Blackburn and Darwen 145,139 1,750,261 356,215 
			 890 Blackpool 40,210 1,589,941 367,068 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 162,434 2,875,604 1,569,374 
			 892 City of Nottingham 473,690 776,050 1,309,557 
			 893 Shropshire 72,670 547,681 40,790 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 29,121 993,882 201,293 
			 908 Cornwall 0 2,851,674 604,132 
			 909 Cumbria 332,471 1,948,159 464,797 
			 916 Gloucestershire 0 730,566 1,213,393 
			 919 Hertfordshire 308,517 2,101,213 1,660,100 
			 921 Isle of Wight 49,175 420,546 213,595 
			 925 Lincolnshire 193,411 2,893,505 270,332 
			 926 Norfolk 99,630 2,860,360 1,510,253 
			 928 Northamptonshire 0 2,678,960 226,920 
			 929 Northumberland 90,880 259,180 506,030 
			 931 Oxfordshire 160,488 1,434,695 444,730 
			 933 Somerset 186,814 1,383,842 967,608 
			 935 Suffolk 104,262 4,323,335 1,470,951 
			 936 Surrey 226,805 4,267,356 1,815,720 
			 937 Warwickshire 0 3,405,919 9,554 
			 938 West Sussex 237,846 1,230,129 1,017,698 
		
	
	
		
			  LEA number  Local authority name  2.4.4 Behaviour support plans( 4)  1.2.5 Support for inclusion( 5)  2.2.2 SEN administration assessment and coordination( 6) 
			  England 5,034,984 47,841,841 67,546,224 
			  
			 201 City of London 4,300 0 9,700 
			 202 Camden 0 240,204 686,663 
			 203 Greenwich 10,080 0 721,939 
			 204 Hackney 61,739 97,484 39,140 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 202,901 345,438 
			 206 Islington 8,169 122,940 215,065 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 0 224,714 0 
			 208 Lambeth 0 314,922 250,395 
			 209 Lewisham 0 339,202 0 
			 210 Southwark 67,680 304,960 1,127,009 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 14,418 205,395 416,818 
			 212 Wandsworth 5,394 213,265 602,734 
			 213 Westminster 0 0 872,700 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 0 245,200 43,350 
			 302 Barnet 0 500,350 1,000,838 
			 303 Bexley 92,000 9,000 450,000 
			 304 Brent 116,000 74,000 790,000 
			 305 Bromley 3,500 94,311 656,628 
			 306 Croydon 25,544 0 177,024 
			 307 Ealing 51,900 0 576,900 
			 308 Enfield 12,603 437,786 654,808 
			 309 Haringey 164,909 53,821 497,053 
			 310 Harrow 0 263,760 0 
			 311 Havering 6,240 98,220 348,170 
			 312 Hillingdon 0 0 478,575 
			 313 Hounslow 80,934 56,129 527,122 
			 314 Kingston-upon-Thames 41,883 17,583 129,253 
			 315 Merton 28,182 438,690 370,482 
			 316 Newham 0 155,460 808,559 
			 317 Redbridge 79,645 74,479 518,515 
			 318 Richmond-upon-Thames 27,100 30,600 290,800 
			 319 Sutton 12,189 20,000 557,044 
			 320 Waltham Forest 0 31,507 0 
			 330 Birmingham 0 1,117,334 1,416,193 
			 331 Coventry 40,420 143,463 574,989 
			 332 Dudley 3,050 93,864 457,712 
			 333 Sandwell 0 0 56,700 
			 334 Solihull 0 37,420 177,678 
			 335 Walsall 18,418 0 423,121 
			 336 Wolverhampton 69,000 33,500 314,600 
			 340 Knowsley 0 1,791,601 202,193 
			 341 Liverpool 73,129 93,530 70,000 
			 342 St. Helens 0 0 354,078 
			 343 Sefton 251,200 33,950 70,000 
			 344 Wirral 4,000 175,000 356,700 
			 350 Bolton 10,687 290,598 245,135 
			 351 Bury 0 390,548 37,900 
			 352 Manchester 0 1,575,502 0 
			 353 Oldham 0 385,489 386,460 
			 354 Rochdale 20,357 57,960 308,139 
			 355 Salford 5,127 40,258 317,596 
			 356 Stockport 16,717 664,217 339,082 
			 357 Tameside 30,000 500,000 335,090 
			 358 Trafford 0 0 189,356 
			 359 Wigan 138,213 0 781,538 
			 370 Barnsley 0 909,500 309,250 
			 371 Doncaster 0 76,690 444,990 
			 372 Rotherham 3,168 369,743 49,621 
			 373 Sheffield 1,211 1,764,564 425,188 
			 380 Bradford 30,542 56,560 650,000 
			 381 Calderdale 2,892 0 0 
			 382 Kirklees 0 27,800 0 
			 383 Leeds 201,650 389,150 265,570 
			 384 Wakefield 0 399,074 206,220 
			 390 Gateshead 103,216 69,697 70,538 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 45,200 0 73,440 
			 392 North Tyneside 0 121,798 248,269 
			 393 South Tyneside 0 535,234 380,265 
			 394 Sunderland 0 375,915 260,773 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 0 0 24,017 
			 800 Bath and NE Somerset 10,457 238,920 419,073 
			 801 City of Bristol 122,088 576,238 486,582 
			 802 North Somerset 27,140 469,355 261,670 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 5,000 313,000 490,000 
			 805 Hartlepool 2,975 120,429 66,019 
			 806 Middlesbrough 8,721 24,422 298,134 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 145,776 137,350 57,608 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 0 64,773 269,257 
			 810 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 0 35,466 0 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 191,980 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 33,324 0 181,044 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 10,271 216,467 82,918 
			 815 North Yorkshire 283,805 377,445 556,652 
			 816 York 170,836 89,577 53,585 
			 820 Bedfordshire 0 264,352 790,169 
			 821 Luton 20,877 223,386 210,970 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 0 254,508 1,289,787 
			 826 Milton Keynes 13,505 248,397 582,800 
			 830 Derbyshire 202,056 0 1,225,841 
			 831 Derby 0 56,772 307,286 
			 835 Dorset 11,300 22,800 634,600 
			 836 Poole 9,600 18,801 190,954 
			 837 Bournemouth 22,172 166,599 238,913 
			 840 Durham 6,556 287,502 755,299 
			 841 Darlington 17,783 30,130 165,387 
			 845 East Sussex 0 1,075,262 1,069,094 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 30,570 21,900 256,090 
			 850 Hampshire 174,000 31,000 1,815,000 
			 851 Portsmouth 0 32,715 253,303 
			 852 Southampton 0 321,101 89,000 
			 855 Leicestershire 116,846 0 592,496 
			 856 Leicester City 15,000 720,157 578,900 
			 857 Rutland 0 25,828 17,513 
			 860 Staffordshire 36,220 473,280 2,493,860 
			 861 Stoke 0 979,201 230,000 
			 865 Wiltshire 5,004 17,999 776,191 
			 866 Swindon 0 63,776 237,114 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 4,290 10,180 174,729 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 3,760 68,998 237,650 
			 869 West Berkshire 34,394 25,020 89,358 
			 870 Reading 81,869 776,225 202,556 
			 871 Slough 249,968 134,503 40,850 
			 872 Wokingham 28,782 0 249,621 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 33,564 541,993 748,211 
			 874 City of Peterborough 160,899 153,973 79,958 
			 875 Cheshire 0 289,941 1,422,690 
			 876 Halton 0 147,760 165,790 
			 877 Warrington 27,728 34,530 345,302 
			 878 Devon 0 1,032,000 747,000 
			 879 City of Plymouth 17,405 262,037 229,132 
			 880 Torbay 9,804 96,938 187,160 
			 881 Essex 0 440,563 0 
			 882 Southend 19,870 225,191 259,010 
			 883 Thurrock 61,467 0 240,639 
			 884 Herefordshire 16,719 84,579 403,146 
			 885 Worcestershire 2,000 330,568 683,188 
			 886 Kent 0 5,3$6,452 1,847,436 
			 887 Medway 10,600 117,900 471,814 
			 888 Lancashire 0 361,700 0 
			 889 Blackburn and Darwen 0 45,871 227,805 
			 890 Blackpool 33,990 418,399 260,353 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 17,320 63,447 579,957 
			 892 City of Nottingham 76,205 245,754 59,335 
			 893 Shropshire 0 60,793 168,341 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 20,800 266,923 243,123 
			 908 Cornwall 109,903 440,000 899,725 
			 909 Cumbria 36,099 335,125 949,205 
			 916 Gloucestershire 0 4,062,588 426,084 
			 919 Hertfordshire 63,994 523,167 2,400,938 
			 921 Isle of Wight 45,206 57,375 56,222 
			 925 Lincolnshire 25,859 1,414,222 1,075,972 
			 926 Norfolk 67,657 110,537 1,059,855 
			 928 Northamptonshire 0 87,100 836,450 
			 929 Northumberland 5,050 0 367,000 
			 931 Oxfordshire 98,259 1,081,136 1,599,823 
			 933 Somerset 10,000 416,567 1,498,028 
			 935 Suffolk 0 138,770 452,176 
			 936 Surrey 110,167 294,062 1,642,770 
			 937 Warwickshire 0 32,504 717,610 
			 938 West Sussex 66,868 1,870,700 0 
			 (1) Excluded pupils includes any planned expenditure in relation to the exclusion of pupils from schools or pupil referral units, excluding the making of any provision of education to such pupils, but including advice to the parents of an excluded pupil. Expenditure on PRUs should be recorded at 1.3.1 pupil referral units. (2) Pupil Referral Units includes any planned expenditure on the provision of education at Pupil referral units as defined in section 19 of the 1996 Act. Also includes any school standards grant income and expenditure in relation to PRUs. (3) Behaviour support services includes any planned expenditure on the cost of providing or purchasing specialist behaviour support services, both advisory and teaching. (4) Behaviour support plans includes any planned expenditure on the costs of preparing and reviewing behaviour support plans under section 527A of the 1996 Act. Expenditure on behaviour support services should be recorded above at 1.3.2. (5) Support for inclusion includes any planned expenditure on: the collaboration between mainstream and special schools and primary and secondary schools to enable children with special educational needs to take part in mainstream activities; the integration of children from specialist to mainstream settings and the provision of discrete services or projects to promote such integration. (6) SEN administration, assessment and co-ordination includes any planned expenditure on the identification and assessment of children with SEN and the making, maintaining and reviewing of statements under sections 321 to 331 of the 1996 Act. Also includes the cost of strategic management and planning of services to support the inclusion and attainment of children and young people with SEN, preparing relevant strategic plans and SEN administration, planning and co-ordination.  Source: The data are drawn from local authorities' 2005-06 Section 52 Budget Statements (Table 1) submitted to the Department for Education and Skills.

RU Thinking About It?

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department has given to the RU Thinking About It? website in each month since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's expenditure on the RU Thinking website since taking over responsibility for it from the Department of Health is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure () 
			 2004/05 52,394 
			 2005/06 92,726 
		
	
	These figures break down to average monthly costs of 4,366 and 7,727 respectively and include reporting, hosting and maintenance, design and development and the creation/addition of new articles and features. Figures are exclusive of VAT.

RU Thinking About It?

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the organisers of the RU Thinking About It? website about  (a) the type of material and  (b) the accuracy of the information contained on the website; if she will request that the abortion section be amended to read that doctors can only offer an abortion if the criteria in the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) are complied with; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The information is as follows.
	 (a) As Minister for Children and Young People, I have discussed the approach and role of the website within the campaign strategy. However, it is the role of departmental officials to liaise with the website providers over the detail of the content, which I would expect to be consistent with the key messages of the campaign.
	The RU Thinking website provides information to support the key messages of the national campaign to reduce teenage pregnancy: encouraging young people to resist peer pressure and delay early sex; raising awareness of risks of unprotected sex; and highlighting the importance of seeking early advice, The breadth of information on the site reflects the full range of issues on which young people contact the service.
	 (b) I am confident that the governance of the site adheres to high standards on clinical and legal accuracy and that it is endorsed by officials from both the Department of Health and DfES. All medical information is checked for accuracy with sexual health professionals.
	The website makes clear that an abortion can only be performed with the agreement of two doctors. We believe that it is more appropriate to explain the further eligibility criteria for an abortion under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended), in the medical consultation.

School Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the overall budget for schools was spent on  (a) departmental administration and contractors and consultants and  (b) local authority administration in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 May 2006
	The Department does not collect the information in the way it has been requested at  (a). However, the following table gives a breakdown of the available data for (b) local authority administration. Similar data are not available before 1999-2000.
	
		
			  ( 1) Central administration () ( 2) Total education spending ()  Percentage 
			 1999-2000 382,997,357 22,112,093,232 1.7 
			 2000-01 368,846,719 23,713,133,097 1.6 
			 2001-02 388,643,297 26,087,492,215 1.5 
			 
			 2002-03 555,581,472 27,565,869,821 2.0 
			 2003-04 513,310,247 31,457,564,859 1.6 
			 2004-05(3) 560,717,875 33,294,983,910 1.7 
			 (1) Net current expenditure on central administration covers the overall management of a local authority's responsibility in relation to education. Central administration figures are drawn from local authorities' Section 52 Outturn Statement s and include expenditure on insurance and joint use arrangements. Central Administration expenditure is shown as a percentage of total education spending. (2) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES, directly comparable figures are not available from this source. The closest comparison available would give percentages of 3.2 per cent. for both 1997-98 and 1998-99. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the Outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the blank row. Up to 2001-02 figures were taken from the net current expenditure before recharges row, management and support statutory / regulatory duties column. For 2002-03 onwards the net current expenditure column for the central administration line has been provided. (3) Since 2003 the Schools Budget has been separate from the LEA Budget.  Note: Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 28 April 2006.

School Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the education budget for schools was in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 3 May 2006
	The available information is contained within the following table. Similar data are not available before 1999-2000.
	
		
			 
			of which: 
			   Budgeted education revenue expenditure  Total school budget 
			 1999-2000 20,898,167,000 n/a 
			 2000-01 22,847,836,000 n/a 
			 2001-02 25,225,703,000 n/a 
			 2002-03 26,791,292,000 n/a 
			 2003-04 29,685,101,000 26,375,484,000 
			 2004-05 31,782,676,000 28,378,783,000 
			 2005-06 34,181,710,000 30,656,061,000 
			 n/a = not available  Notes: 1. Total schools budget and budgeted education revenue expenditure is drawn from local authorities Section 52 Budget Statements submitted to DfES. This is calculated as the gross elements of any grant lines plus the net elements of the remainder of the budget. 2. Budget education revenue was split to show local authority and schools' budget separately from 2003-04 onwards. 3. Cash figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. As reported by local authorities as at 2 May 2006.

School Sports Partnerships

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects all schools to be part of a school sports partnership; what progress has been made towards this target; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: All maintained schools will be within a school sport partnership from this September (2006). There are currently 411 school sport partnerships encompassing 80 per cent. of maintained schools in England.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new Sure Start centres his Department plans to open by the end of 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The Government have set a target of 2,500 Sure Start children's centres being open by March 2008 and 3,500 centres by 2010.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the budget for Sure Start will be in 2008-09, expressed in terms of funds  (a) per Sure Start centre and  (b) per head of anticipated child users.

Beverley Hughes: Funding for Sure Start for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be subject to the outcome of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). Details of the budget allocated to Sure Start for 2008-09 will not be available until the CSR has been completed.

Sure Start

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many under-fives entitled to free nursery places on the Sure Start scheme are on waiting lists in Tamworth constituency;
	(2)  how many available places there are in Sure Start schemes in Tamworth constituency.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the availability of places and the number of children on waiting lists for Sure Start services are not collected centrally.
	However, Sure Start Tamworth has the potential to deliver a range of integrated services to 448 children under four and their families.
	Sure Start Tamworth is set to become a children's centre during phase 2 of the children's centre programme (2006 to 2008) bringing Sure Start services to children under five and their families in the area. Staffordshire local authority is in the process of finalising proposals for the future development of children's centres.

Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary (i) head teacher and (ii) deputy head teacher posts in England had been vacant for more than three months in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 May 2006
	Information is not collected in the form requested.
	Provisional information on teacher vacancies and temporarily filled head teacher posts for January 2006 was published in tables 4, 5 and 9 of the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release 18/2006, on 27 April 2006. The SFR provides a snapshot of vacancies and temporarily filled posts as at January and is available on the department's website at the following URL:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000653/index.shtml
	A copy has been placed in the House of Common's Library.

Truancy

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy levels were in schools in  (a) Carlisle constituency,  (b) Cumbria and  (c) England in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold data on the levels of truancy. However, the figures for the percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence (of which truancy forms a part) in maintained mainstream schools can be found in the following tables:
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained primary schools due to unauthorised absence 
			   1997/98  1998/99  1999/00  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Carlisle 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 
			 Cumbria 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.20 0.21 0.17 0.16 
			 England 0.50 0.49 0.47 0.49 0.45 0.43 0.41 0.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained secondary schools due to unauthorised absence 
			   1997/98  1998/99  1999/00  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Carlisle 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.9 
			 Cumbria 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.75 0.82 0.94 0.97 
			 England 1.10 1.07 1.04 1.07 1.09 1.07 1.13 1.23

Truancy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of truancy programmes has been since 1997; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of each programme.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 March 2006,  Official report, column 1235W to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire(Mr. Gauke).
	As a result of our investment and reforms, school absence has fallen for four consecutive years and is now at a record low, with 10,000 fewer pupils absent from school every day compared to last year and 60,000 fewer than in 1996/97. Overall absence in 193 secondary schools, targeted with extra Government support because of their high levels of absence, reduced in 2004/05 by 6.45 per cent. compared to1.98 per cent. in other schools.
	We plan to publish a report on the effectiveness of electronic registration systems in secondary schools at the end of May.

Trust Schools

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans  (a) to establish a separate team and  (b) to employ consultants to promote trust schools.

Jim Knight: There is a dedicated unit in the Department, comprising existing DfES staff, looking at the overall implementation of the trusts schools policy. We employ a consultancy firm to build and develop relationships between the Department and business across a range of education projects including trust schools. Once appointed the schools commissioner will undertake a wider matching role in relation to trust schools.

Trust Schools

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what specific powers will trust schools have in determining and shaping their own curriculum.

Jim Knight: Trust schools will be required to deliver the National Curriculum in exactly the same way as other maintained schools in England.
	The national curriculum sets out what must be taught, not how it is to be taught. Within this statutory framework, trust schoolslike other maintained schoolswill have considerable freedom to develop and shape a curriculum that responds to the personal learning needs of their children and to introduce new approaches to teaching and learning.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Problem Gamblers (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of problem gamblers in Tamworth constituency.

Richard Caborn: The current estimate is that 0.6 per cent. of the adult population of Great Britain are problem gamblers. This figure is drawn from the most recent authoritative research: Kerry Sproston, Bob Erens and Jim Orford (2000) Gambling Behaviour in Britain: Results from the British Gambling Prevalence Study (National Centre for Social Research, June 2000). This research was conducted using a sample of addresses selected at random. It is not possible therefore to give figures by constituency.

Sport England North West

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role Ministers had in  (a) devising and  (b) approving the scheme for Sport England North West to distribute lottery funds to firms and organisations to enable them to encourage their employees to be healthier.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 8 May 2006
	Ministers had no role in devising or approving the Sport England North West 1 million Challenge workplace health initiative. Sport England is a lottery distributor independent from government.
	Ministers do, however, have a role in setting broad policy priorities through policy directions. Sport England's lottery policy directions, coupled with their strategic objectives, provide a focus on increasing participation in sport and physical activity.
	References to my having been fully involved in that [decision] ( Sunday Telegraph 23 April) inaccurately inferred a role in devising or approving initiatives rather than the role I do have in setting the broad policy priorities.
	Decisions on regional lottery investment are taken by the Regional Sports Boards, according to identified regional priorities.
	The investments through the workplace health initiative form part of a targeted pilot programme in the North West to encourage employers to put more emphasis on sport and physical activity.

Sport England North West

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what involvement  (a) the Minister for Sport and  (b) other Ministers in her Department have had with Sport England North West's pilot project to distribute funds to improve the fitness of employees.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The North West Sports Board has been proactive in trying to engage with the private sector in support of our drive to increase participation in sport. The North West Sports Board organised private sector forums to discuss sport and physical activity in the workplace with employers and the private sector. In order to attract some of the regions' major business leaders to the forums, I was invited to help host two of these events.
	The aim of the first meeting on 6 September was to address:
	what would encourage the private sector to invest in sport;
	the benefits to industry of a fit and healthy workforce.
	There was no discussion on specific programmes or initiatives, but over the following eight months, in the light of this debate, the North West Regional Sports Board devised and developed the workplace health initiative, which was launched in May 2005.
	I attended a further meeting of this forum on14 November 2005 where Sport England updated the guests present on the progress that had been made in this area. Ministers had no role in devising or approving the Sport England North West 1 million Challenge workplace health initiative.
	Decisions on regional lottery investment are taken by the Regional Sports Boards, according to identified regional priorities.

CABINET OFFICE

Guide to Legislative Procedure

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether he plans to issue an updated version of the Guide to Legislative Procedure; when it was last updated; whom he consulted prior to publication; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assistance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Legislative Programme Committee gives to departmental Bill teams; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: The Guide to Legislative Procedures is available on the Cabinet Office website and is intended to provide departmental officials with detailed guidance on all aspects of a Bill's preparation and parliamentary passage. A revised version was published by the Legislative Programme Committee Secretariat in the Cabinet Office in October 2004 following consultation with key official stakeholders within Government and parliamentary officials. Small and urgent updates are made from time to time, and another comprehensive revision is planned over the summer recess in time to publish before the beginning of the next session.
	The Legislative Programme Secretariat, along with Parliamentary Counsel, works closely with the National School of Government in running a programme of seminars for Bill teams which cover the legislative process from policy formulation to Royal Assent.

Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received on the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Hilary Armstrong: As at Thursday 4 May, since the introduction of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill to Parliament on Wednesday 11 January, over 325 representations have been received from the private and public sectors as well as from individuals.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: The information requested isnot held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

DEFENCE

Civilian Guard Force

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the civilian guard force have suffered gunshot injuries in  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) Scotland,  (c) England and Wales and  (d) while serving overseas in the last 12 months.

Des Browne: The term ' civilian guard force' has been taken to include both the Ministry of Defence police, who are authorised to be armed, and the MOD's 'in house' guard services. The MOD's guard services in Germany and in Northern Ireland are authorised to be armed, but in England, Scotland and Wales Ministry of Defence guard service personnel are unarmed.
	In the last 12 months one member of the Northern Ireland guard service was involved in a fatal shooting incident. In the same period in England and Wales one member of the Ministry of Defence police sustained a minor gunshot injury during firearms training. There have been no such incidents in Scotland or overseas.

Iran (Military Operations)

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Defence what his assessment is of the advancesin military technology claimed by Iran during recent military operations in the straits of Hormuz; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 8 May 2006
	We continuously assess developments in military technology, including in relation to Iran, in order to draw any lessons that may be relevant to the capability and tactics of our own forces.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the level of infiltration by militias into the Iraqi security forces in Multi-National Division South East.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid) gave on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 672-73W to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the development and production of the Mark 98 Mod 7 Fire Control System for Trident; when the system is due to enter service; what the reason is for the upgrade; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: To date, the Ministry of Defence has spent 28.4 million on the acquisition of the Mk 98 Mod 7 Fire Control Subsystem update programme. The system is due to enter service in 2010. The Mk 98 Mod 7 programme is being undertaken to avoid equipment obsolescence.

WALES

Dentistry

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the oral answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, of 3 May 2006 , Official Report, column 957, on NHS dentistry, if he will clarify the sums spent on NHS dentistry in Wales in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Nick Ainger: Pursuant to my oral answer on3 May 2006, the net spend on NHS dentistry in Wales was 81 million in 2004-05 and an estimated88.2 million for 2005-06. An additional 30 million is being invested in NHS dentistry in 2006-07, bringing the total forecast spend to 118.5 million.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to question 63679, on Ascension Island, what the focus of discussions was on each of the seven meetings on issues related to Ascension Island to which reference was made.

Geoff Hoon: pursuant to the reply, 20 April 2006, Official Report, c. 778W
	The meetings with thehon. Member's constituent and Richard James International were to hear representations from those concerned about UK policy on Ascension Island.
	The remaining meetings considered a variety of issues relating to the administration of the Island. The timing reflected the fact of a routine (leave) visit to the UK by the Administrator. Similarly, the Director of Finance paid a call on the Department during a leave visit to the UK.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by the UK Government on infrastructure and services on Ascension Island in each year since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: The Government do not contribute directly to infrastructure and services on Ascension Island.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office programme funds have, however, contributed to a number of projects on the Island encompassing environmental issues (with the Department for International Development), economic diversification and prospects to enhance good government including law and order, as follows:
	
		
			
			 1997-98 25,300 
			 1998-99 9,200 
			 1999-2000 57,410 
			 2000-01 196,356 
			 2001-02 887,520 
			 2002-03 115,000 
			 2003-04 231,390 
			 2004-05 334,840 
			 2005-06 161,696

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the standard amount of time is that people who have ended their work contract with one of the main users on Ascension Island are given to leave the island.

Geoff Hoon: The Workmen's Protection (Ascension) Ordinance, Regulations Section 12, Paragraph 3, requires employers to repatriate any worker and their dependants within 30 days of the expiry of their contract of service.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how and where vacancies with the main users on Ascension Island are advertised; and whether  (a) (i) current and (i) previous Ascension Island residents and  (b) other groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Geoff Hoon: We understand that vacancies are advertised as widely as possible, depending on the type and status of the job. Ascension and St. Helenian newspapers, Falkland Island newspapers, local notice boards on all three islands, UK press, Ascension Island Government website, employment agencies and UK job centres may be used.
	Posts are equally open to everyone, including people currently working and living on Ascension, and people who have previously worked and lived there.

Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2047W, on Ascension Island, what plans she has for further expenditure on researching animal, plant and geological features on Ascension Island.

Geoff Hoon: The Overseas Territories Environment Programme, which is a joint Department for International Development/Foreign and Commonwealth Office fund, has this financial year (2006-07) approved 49,910 for the continuation of the Ascension Environment Information Operations Utility, a project which began last year, and 29,500 for a new project to improve access to Green Mountain National Park.

Burma

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to place the situation in Burma on the agenda of the UN Security Council; and what assistance the UK Government offer to pro-democracy groups in Burma.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 8 May 2006
	We fully support any action in the UN, including in the UN Security Council (UNSC), which would help to promote reform and positive change in Burma. Members of the UNSC last discussed the situation in Burma during informal consultations on 16 December. At present there is no consensus within the UNSC, including among the permanent members, to add Burma to the Council's formal agenda. We remain in regular contact with permanent members of the UNSC on this issue.
	UK assistance in Burma includes programmes aimed at building the capacity of civil society groups and individuals who are working to build a democratic society.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in her Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is a British nationals-only employer. However, some foreign nationals are employed in a small number of service provision roles, in line with the requirements laid down in the Aliens Restriction (Amendment) Act 1919 on the employment of aliens. The figures on those employed are:
	
		
			  Financial year  EU foreign nationals  Non-EU nationals 
			 2001-02 16 8 
			 2002-03 16 8 
			 2003-04 16 8 
			 2004-05 16 8 
			 2006 (to date) 16 7 
		
	
	The vetting procedures in place for all category of staff employed in the FCO are in line with the policy laid down in the Cabinet Office Manual of Protective Security. The FCO recruit individuals to work in jobs which generally require those individuals to be cleared to security check or developed vetting level. However, in some cases we recruit contracted workers to work at a lower level where counter terrorist check clearance is more appropriate. Where necessary, this will include a check of time spent overseas. The FCO has its own vetting section.

EU Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reason is for the difference between the figures for the European Union's budget for administration costs over the next financial framework in the publication of the United Kingdom presidency proposal on 14 Decemberand the publication of the UK's final proposals on19 December.

Geoff Hoon: A number of changes, including the change to the budget for administration costs,were necessary to the UK presidency proposal of14 December in order to generate a political consensus for an agreement on the 2007-13 Financial Perspective at the European Council on 15-17 December.

Export Licensing

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 860W, on arms exports, on how many occasions since 1997 the Government have received information from  (a) their overseas posts and  (b) a non-governmental organisation that British defence exports have been diverted that has led to the Government revoking an export licence from a UK defence manufacturer; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 8 May 2006
	Due to the way data are recorded it is not possible to establish whether information leading to revocations originated from overseas posts, or non-governmental organisations.
	Reasons for refusals and revocations are listed in each Annual Report for Strategic Exports. A copy of each of the annual reports has been placed in the Library of the House. As all export licence applications are judged rigorously against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria with an assessment made against the risk of diversion by all four Government Departments (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development) involved in the export licensing process, there are few revocations.

Export Licensing

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 860W, on arms exports, with what frequency reviews of risk assessments specific to an export licence are carried out by the UK Government after an export licence is granted to a UK defence manufacturer; how many staff are engaged in carrying out such reviews with regard to  (a) Israel and  (b) Saudi Arabia; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 8 May 2006
	All export licences are assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. The risk assessment takes place at the time of application and is carried out by dedicated export licensing teams in all four Departments (Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development) involved in the export licensing process. Each team is staffed appropriately for existing workloads, but levels may change.
	In addition to the process of assessing licences against the criteria and prevailing circumstances, the FCO will review extant licences for all destinations when subsequent reporting from post, media, non-governmental organisations or other sources gives rise to human rights or diversion concerns.

Honours (Non-UK Citizens)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the individuals who are not UK citizens who in the period 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2005 were awarded honours; and what  (a) the date of announcement,  (b) the honour and  (c) the reason for the award was in each case.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 8 May 2006
	As the information requested is lengthy, I will arrange for the information to be placed in the Library of the House, and will send a copy directly to the hon. Member.
	As honorary awards, ie to citizens of countries where HM the Queen is not Head of State, are not formally announced, the date of the Queen's formal approval of such awards has been given.

Indonesia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the UK Government have made tothe Indonesian authorities about the situation of Christians in Indonesia.

Ian McCartney: We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Indonesia, both bilaterally and through the EU. We have made clear our view that freedom of religion is an important component of the democratic life of the country.
	Through the EU, we have made representations to the Indonesian Government concerning the death penalty handed down to three Christians convicted of masterminding violence in Central Sulawesi in 2000. On 14 November 2005, as EU presidency, we expressed to the Government of Indonesia the EU's regret at the decision to carry out the executions, and urged the Indonesian government not to do so and to consider the abolition of the death penalty altogether. The current EU presidency, Austria, followed this up with the Government of Indonesia in January in separate meetings with the Minister of Law and Human Rights and the Attorney-General, and in a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The EU presidency raised this again during the EU-Indonesia Ministerial Troika meeting in Vienna on 27 March.
	We understand that the Indonesian Supreme Court had recently re-opened the case and that there may be further police inquiries.

Iran

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible effects of economic sanctions on Iran on the world economy, with particular reference to the price of oil.

Kim Howells: The United Nations Security Council has not yet considered imposing sanctions against Iran, though this cannot be ruled out at some point if Iran continues not to take the steps regarding its nuclear programme that the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors has deemed essential. The effects of any sanctions on the world economy would depend critically on the kinds of measures imposed; at this stage, speculation is premature.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 304W, on Iran, what assessment she has made of Iranian financial support to Hamas since the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: On 16 April, the Iranian Foreign Minister pledged that Iran would give $50 million to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA); he did not say when or how this would be delivered.
	We remain deeply concerned by Iran's support for groups undermining peace in the Middle East and by President Ahmadinejad's calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. We believe it would not be in the interests of the Palestinian people, nor in the interests of peace in the region, for the PA to depend on funding from Iran. The PA needs to engage with the whole international community to find a lasting solution to its funding needs on the basis of commitments to recognising the state of Israel, commitment to non-violence and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap.

Israel

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of Israel's Security Fence is outside Israel's borders as they existed in 1967; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In March 2005, the UN Office for Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs reported that 20 per cent. of the completed section of the barrier ran along the green line. The remainder of the barrier is routed on Occupied Territory.
	We fully recognise Israel's right to self-defence. A barrier is a reasonable way to achieve this. But the barrier's route should be on or behind the green line and not on occupied territory. The territory beyond the green line which Israel occupied in June 1967 is occupied territory. We will continue to raise our concerns overthe barrier with the Israeli Government at all levels.

Memoranda of Understanding (Deportees)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of comments by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the practice of seeking memoranda of understanding regarding the return of deportees to certain countries is fundamentally flawed in several ways.

Kim Howells: We respect the views of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, individuals who are not British nationals, and who pose a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom, should not have the right to remain here indefinitely. The Government continue to believe that memoranda of understanding providing for the deportation with assurances of particular individuals enable us to safeguard the rights of individuals being returned in a manner consistent with, and in respect of our international human rights obligations.

Memoranda of Understanding (Deportees)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the use of memoranda of understanding regarding the return of deportees to certain countries.

Kim Howells: I met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 16 February 2006. We discussed, among other issues, the use of memoranda of understanding regarding the return of deportees to certain countries.

Memoranda of Understanding (Deportees)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances the Government have received in relation to whether countries with which the UK has memoranda of understanding regarding the return of deportees are complying with both the spirit and the letter of the terms of the agreement.

Kim Howells: The Government are confident that the countries concerned will abide by the spirit and letter of the memoranda of understanding (MOU) which they have signed. MOUs on deportation with assurances have so far been signed with Libya, Lebanon and Jordan. No deportations have yet been made under the terms of the MOUs. The deportations are subject to the courts.

Memoranda of Understanding (Deportees)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by the Government to monitor the treatment of people sent to countries with which the UK has a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the return of deportees.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 13 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 1910-11W.

Memoranda of Understanding (Deportees)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the decision of the Council of Europe not to develop guidelines for the acceptable use of diplomatic assurances for extraditing people to countries where they might be at risk of torture; and what the implications are of that decision for the UK's use of Memoranda of Understanding.

Kim Howells: We have noted the decision of the Council of Europe's Steering Committee on Human Rights not to draft a legal instrument on minimum standards for the use of diplomatic assurances in the context of expulsion procedures and, in the framework of the fight against terrorism, in cases where there is a risk of torture or inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment. The decision has no implications for the Government's policy on the use of Memoranda of Understanding for the purpose in question.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms the EU is considering for the delivery of aid to health and education projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	Until the Hamas-led government complies with the conditions laid out by the Quartet on 30 January, direct aid to the Palestinian Cabinet and its Ministries will not be possible. The UK government, European Commission and other international partners are, therefore, looking at other ways to support the basic needs of the Palestinian people. A mechanism has not yet been agreed. However, neither the UK government nor the European Community will fund organisations where there is a risk of resources being diverted to terrorism.
	The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) provides health, education and other basic services to Palestinian refugees. The UK and European Community provide substantial financial support to UNRWA's work, including 15 million from DFID in April this year.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds have been provided by the EU to build the institutional fabric of the Palestinian Authority in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	Between 2000 and 2004, the European Community (EC) provided 450.3 million in overall assistance to Palestinian administrative areas. In 2004 and 2005 this included a total of 140 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), aimed at building the institutional capacity of the PA and increasing stability by assisting with budget shortfalls. This was in addition to the EC's contribution to humanitarian assistance, including support to Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
	Until the new Palestinian government complies with the conditions set out by the Quartet on 30 January, direct aid to the Palestinian Cabinet and its Ministries will not be possible. Like the UK, the European Commission is looking at other ways to support the basic needs of the Palestinian people.

Nepal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of human rights in Nepal.

Kim Howells: Nepal has a deplorable human rights record. Both Maoists and security forces have carried out gross abuses, both against combatants and civilians. Our annual Human Rights Report (chapters 2 and 5) covers this in detail. The report can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1119526503628
	The UK has regularly spoken out against such abuses and has taken a number of measures to reduce them, including providing human rights training, bomb disposal equipment and funding for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Kathmandu.
	Since the beginning of the year we have been deeply troubled by the escalation of violent Maoist attacks, which have resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries among the Royal Nepalese Army, the police and civilians. We have also been gravely concerned by human rights abuses carried out by the security forces and by the Government's infringements of civil liberties and democratic freedoms.
	With our EU partners we condemned all such abuses in a statement on 27 January 2006. In that statement we strongly condemned the escalation of Maoist violence and the Government's use of force to suppress the Nepalese people's fundamental rights. We also underlined the obligation of all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law.
	In response to the nationwide demonstrations in April, I issued a public statement condemning the excessive violence that the Nepalese people have suffered. The full text of the statement is availableon the FCO website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1007029391629a=KArticleaid=1144253679044%20year=2006month=2006-04-01date=2006-04-21 The EU also issued a statement calling on all concerned to exercise restraint and resolve the problems by restoring democracy and by initiating a dialogue for peace. The statement can be found on the EU website at: http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP_Statements/April/2504Nepal.html For this reason we are greatly encouraged by the King's restoration of Parliament. This is a tribute to the Nepalese people's desire for democracy and peace. We hope that all those concerned will now work together to restore peace, democracy and human rights in Nepal and we will continue to assist them in their efforts.

Nuclear Weapons Convention

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the feasibility of a further nuclear weapons convention; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government consider the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the framework for nuclear disarmament. The UK has an excellent record in implementing its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the NPT and, in this regard, continues to press for multilateral negotiations towards mutual, balanced and verifiable reductions in nuclear weapons. The Government do not support any new process, including a Nuclear Weapons Convention, which could risk cutting across the existing NPT regime.

Palestinian Authority

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Quartet counterparts regarding Russia's decision to fund the new Palestinian Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We value Russia as a member of the Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia). Russia has made clear its support for the Quartet's three principles of commitment to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap. We are aware that Russia has pledged US$10 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Funding to the PA is one of a range of issues that we discuss with our Quartet partners. We discussed funding issues at an informal meeting of international donors on 27 April in London, which all the Quartet members attended.

Peru

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Peru about  (a) the re-emergence of the Shining Path guerrilla group and  (b) their links to the drug trade.

Geoff Hoon: Through our embassy in Lima and contact with visiting Peruvian officials in London, the UK has regular discussions with the Peruvian authorities about terrorism and drugs, including the alleged links between remnants of the Shining Path guerrilla group and the illegal drugs trade.

RAF Wideawake

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the US Administration has paid for the use of RAF Wideawake in each year since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: Wideawake Airfield, constructed by the US government in 1942, forms part of the US Long Range Proving Ground Base sites on Ascension Island. Under the terms of the Bahamas Agreement, the US government uses these sites on Ascension Island free from rent and charges.

Rendition

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 88W, on rendition, whether the derivation of the legal requirement for permission to fly through UK territory and airspace, including overseas territories, is affected by the purpose of the flight to which the request for permission relates.

Kim Howells: The legal requirement for a state to seek permission to render detainees via UK territory of airspace, including overseas territories, applies regardless of any other purpose of the flight to which the request for permission relates.

Son Jong Nam

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will meet representatives of Christian Solidarity Worldwide to discuss the case of Mr. Son Jong Nam, sentenced to death in North Korea.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 8 May 2006
	My officials have raised Son Jong Nam's case with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea authorities. Due to diary commitments, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is unable to meet representatives of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, but my hon. Friend the former Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) met the President of its Board of Trustees to discuss the issue.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when her Department last lodged an official complaint about human rights abuses in Turkey; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Government closely monitor the human rights situation in Turkey and raise concerns as appropriate with the Turkish Government. Our ambassador in Ankara raised concerns about freedom of religion, the south-east and freedom of expression with senior Turkish Ministers and politicians on13 April. Our ambassador also raised freedom of expression, especially Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, in an EU Heads of Mission meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister on 19 April.

Turkey

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the treatment of detainees held following recent protests in south-eastern Turkey; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will draw the attention of the Turkish Government to the European Union's Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict in relation to the Turkish Government's response to the peaceful demonstrations in south-eastern Turkey in recent weeks; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make representations to the Government of Turkey on methods used to deal with recent peaceful demonstrations in south-eastern Turkey.

Geoff Hoon: According to official, media and non-governmental organisation reports, the recent demonstrations in south east Turkey were not peaceful in nature. The Government condemns the violence and subsequent terrorist attacks in Istanbul. Our ambassador in Ankara has raised this issue with the Turkish Foreign Minister, but Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have not discussed these recent events with the Turkish Government. We have not raised the EU's Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict and have no plans to do so at present.
	We will continue to monitor developments and will raise specific allegations of human rights abuse, including any related to the methods used and treatment of detainees, as appropriate.

Turkmenistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts about  (a) human rights in,  (b) trade with and  (c) gas reserves in Turkmenistan.

Geoff Hoon: As with all of the countries of Central Asia, we continue to have a close dialogue with our EU partners on Turkmenistan. In November 2005, together with our EU partners, we supported a resolution on Turkmenistan in the UN's Third Committee. This resolution comprehensively covered the points of progress and of continuing concern and encouraged the Government of Turkmenistan to ensure full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
	The next EU-Turkmenistan Joint Committee Meeting, including an Ad-Hoc Meeting on human rights, is due to take place on 1 June 2006. Prior to this, we will be consulting closely with our EU colleagues on the issues to be covered. These will inevitably include human rights issues and questions relating to trade and economic co-operation.
	Earlier this year Jan Kubis, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, visited Turkmenistan and met President Niyazov with whom he was able to discuss the full range of EU-Turkmen issues including energy and human rights. After this visit, on 8 March 2006, my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Alexander) had a discussion with Kubis about Central Asia, including Turkmenistan. I am hoping to meet Kubis later this month.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Attracta Harron

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions between September 2003 and 11 December 2003 the person subsequently convicted of the murder of Attracta Harron received a home visit without advance notice from those responsible for ascertaining his whereabouts.

David Hanson: The Probation Board for Northern Ireland has been requested to prepare a pre-sentence report on Trevor Hamilton who was convicted of the murder of Attracta Harron.
	The Probation Board for Northern Ireland is unable to comment on the details of the case or its handling until sentence has been imposed, to avoid any risk of prejudicing the matter. I will write to the hon. Gentleman once sentence has been passed.

Cancer

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children received cancer treatment in Northern Ireland in  (a) 1999,  (b) 2001,  (c) 2003 and  (d) 2005, broken down by (i) council district and (ii) age group.

Paul Goggins: The number of children who received cancer treatment in Northern Ireland is not available, however the number of children admitted(1) to hospitals in Northern Ireland with a primary or secondary diagnosis of cancer related illnesses is available by local district council and age groups and is shown in the following tables. The full 2005 calendar year's information is currently unavailable therefore 2004 information has been provided.
	(1 )The figures presented are for the number of individual children admitted (discharges and deaths are used as an approximation for admissions) to hospitals in Northern Ireland. It should be noted that if a child is admitted to more than one hospital in any year or over a number of years he/she will be counted more than once in the tables.
	(i) Local district council
	
		
			   Calendar year 
			  Local government district 1992 name  (a) 1999  (b) 2001  (c) 2003  (d) 2004 
			 Antrim 6 6 5 5 
			 Ards 13 6 9 7 
			 Armagh 6 7 5 8 
			 Ballymena 11 6 5 8 
			 Ballymoney 6 5 5 5 
			 Banbridge 6 6 5 10 
			 Belfast 30 27 24 34 
			 Carrickfergus 5 7 6 8 
			 Castlereagh 12 13 13 12 
			 Coleraine 5 5 7 5 
			 Cookstown 5 8 7 9 
			 Craigavon 8 12 11 15 
			 Derry 29 20 29 20 
			 Down 8 6 5 5 
			 Dungannon 7 7 6 13 
			 Fermanagh 10 5 9 5 
			 Larne 5 5 5 0 
			 Limavady 7 5 7 9 
			 Lisburn 5 14 11 10 
			 Magherafelt 5 5 5 7 
			 Moyle 5 5 5 5 
			 Newry and Mourne 9 14 13 19 
			 Newtownabbey 11 8 5 5 
			 North Down 8 5 10 11 
			 Omagh 11 5 6 8 
			 Strabane 5 6 9 5 
			 LGD unknown 0 5 5 0 
			 Northern Ireland total 228 208 216 238 
			  Note: Please note that cell sizes that have a value of less than 5 have been masked in order to help protect confidentiality.  Source:  Hospital Inpatient System. 
		
	
	(ii) Age groups
	
		
			   Calendar year 
			  Age groups  (a) 1999  (b) 2001  (c) 2003  (d) 2004 
			 0 to 5 79 70 84 91 
			 6 to 10 71 56 61 66 
			 11 to 16 78 82 71 81 
			 Northern Ireland total 228 208 216 238 
			  Source: Hospital Inpatient System.

Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions  (a) he and  (b) the other Ministers in his Department have accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the course of their duties, Ministers attend functions and events some of which are hosted or sponsored by companies. Such details are not recorded separately from other diary records. All hospitality received is in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Dental Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will collect and collate statistics on  (a) the incidence of childhood dental caries,  (b) childhood and adult obesity and  (c) the number of child care places in Northern Ireland at (i) ward and (ii) sub-ward level.

Paul Goggins: The capture of information at small area level such as ward or below, is usually dependent on the existence of an administrative system containing individual records with a reliable geographical identifier attached such as postcode. Even in the event that such systems are maintained by Boards or Trusts, there can be issues around data quality and personal disclosure, that mitigate against the central collation and publication of data for small areas. Alternative data collection methods such as sample surveys can yield useful information at Northern Ireland or Health and Social Services Board level. However, cost constraints usually prevent achieving a 4 representative sample which would be large enough to provide reliable results at sub-Board level. For these reasons, the routine central collection and collation of the requested data items at ward or sub-ward level is not being considered.

DXA Scanning Machines

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many DXA scanning machines are available in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: There are six DXA scanning machines available in HPSS Trusts in Northern Ireland.

Eating Disorders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 476W, on eating disorders, how many people in Northern Ireland were estimated to be suffering from  (a) anorexia nervosa and  (b) bulimia nervosa in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Pursuant to PQ answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 476W, the figures quoted were estimates of the prevalence of these two conditions. Relatively little epidemiological data is available with respect to eating disorder incidence or prevalence in Northern Ireland. However, it is unlikely that local epidemiology differs markedly from indicative levels and trends reported within the UK in general. The figures quoted are calculated on the estimated national prevalence applied to Northern Ireland's population.
	It is difficult to assess the true scale of the prevalence of eating disorders. Most patients are treated as psychiatric outpatients and outpatients' diagnosis is not routinely recorded for statistical purposes.

Education Minister

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for the Department of Education has spent in Northern Ireland to date in 2006.

Peter Hain: I advise the hon. Member that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for the Department of Education has spent a total of 37 days in Northern Ireland to date in 2006. In addition to those 37 days the Minister also performs duties as Education Minister at the NIO in Millbank as well as in Parliament.

Fair Employment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to implement the findings of the Exception of Teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 report published by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in December 2004.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education is currently considering the Equality Commission's investigation findings and recommendations in the context of the wider change programme in the education sector.

General Practitioners

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of patients registered per general practitioner in Northern Ireland was in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:  (a) The Central Services Agency only holds computerised archived data on registrations with a general practitioner from 2001; reliable data for 1995 are therefore not available. However, we can provide the data for 2001 for comparison.
	
		
			  As at May 2001  Number 
			 Total number of patients registered with a general practitioner(1) 1,768,473 
			 Total number of general practitioners(2) 1,050 
			 Average number of patients per general practitioner 1,684 
			  Source:(1) Central Health Index, Central Services Agency (2) Medlist Database, Central Services Agency 
		
	
	 (b) The information requested for 2005 is provided in the following table. However it is important to note that from the introduction of the new General Medical Services contract in April 2004, patients have been registered with a general practice and not with the general practitioner.
	
		
			  As at April 2005  Number 
			 Total number of patients registered with a general practice(1) 1,794,104 
			 Total number of general practitioners(2) 1,086 
			 Average number of patients per general practitioner 1,652 
			  Source:(1 )National Health Applications and Infrastructure Services System, Central Services Agency (2 )Medlist Database, Central Services Agency

Herceptin

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients with early stage breast cancer in Northern Ireland are receiving Herceptin on the NHS.

Paul Goggins: My hon. Friend, the Member forSt. Helen's, South (Mr. Woodward) in his role as Minister with responsibility for Health Social Services and Public Safety, announced in November 2005, that the cancer drug Herceptin may be made available to women with early stage breast cancer where this is clinically appropriate.
	I have been advised that approximately 53 women in Northern Ireland are receiving Herceptin for the treatment of early stage breast cancer.

Housing Council

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was to the public purse of the Northern Ireland Housing Council in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount () 
			 2003-04 62,806 
			 2004-05 54,977 
			 2005-06 45,735

Medical Services (Complaints)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints have been received by each health trust in Northern Ireland in relation to  (a) mental health-related and (b) general medical-related services in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  (a) Complaints received in relation to mental health-related services 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Newry and Mourne 7 4 3 8 5 
			 N and W Belfast 3 7 5 5 5 
			 Homefirst 14 21 37 31 45 
			 Belfast City Hospital 5 7 4 6 8 
			 Down Lisburn 24 31 27 25 21 
			 Royal Group 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Causeway 6 9 11 33 50 
			 Craigavon Area Group 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 16 13 22 8 8 
			 S and E Belfast 30 20 41 56 30 
			 Ulster Comm and Hosp 22 9 10 28 16 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Foyle 6 5 13 8 10 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 6 2 12 6 4 
			 Mater 10 18 12 7 14 
			 Greenpark 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 11 11 12 11 16 
			 United Hospitals 0 0 0 0 0 
			 NI Ambulance Service 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 160 157 209 232 232 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Complaints received in relation to general medical-related services 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Newry and Mourne 111 154 109 133 145 
			 N and W Belfast 153 123 145 105 138 
			 Homefirst 74 127 148 255 282 
			 Belfast City Hospital 191 156 106 189 145 
			 Down Lisburn 279 243 262 257 278 
			 Royal Group 590 657 490 415 623 
			 Causeway 299 411 495 422 406 
			 Craigavon Area Group 210 225 193 168 220 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 87 73 63 69 61 
			 S and E Belfast 220 185 229 228 222 
			 Ulster Comm and Hosp 493 391 350 354 278 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals 173 234 200 229 213 
			 Foyle 48 65 42 70 61 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 87 80 84 48 60 
			 Mater 103 101 124 85 84 
			 Greenpark 281 188 132 144 203 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 86 95 70 79 112 
			 United Hospitals 243 191 262 275 310 
			 NI Ambulance Service 148 168 157 181 144 
			 Total 3,876 3,867 3,661 3,706 3,985

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visits were made by each Minister in his Department in each of the last three years to each  (a) constituency and  (b) council area.

Peter Hain: Due to ministerial changes and redistribution of portfolios during the period requested the information sought by the hon. Member can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. I can however give the hon. Member the details he seeks for the present ministerial team since they took office and this is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  Constituency visits9 May 2005 to 2 May 2006 
			  Constituency  David Hanson  Shaun Woodward  Angela Smith  Lord Rooker 
			 North Down 3 2 1 0 
			 Lagan Valley 6 3 1 0 
			 Upper Bann 2 2 1 2 
			 East Londonderry 4 2 8 1 
			 Strangford 5 1 0 4 
			 South Antrim 3 0 8 1 
			 Belfast North 16 4 6 1 
			 Belfast East 10 5 3 0 
			 Belfast South 18 11 13 6 
			 Belfast West 1 2 2 3 
			 East Antrim 1 0 4 1 
			 Foyle 3 1 10 3 
			 North Antrim 2 0 4 3 
			 South Down 1 0 1 2 
			 Newry and Armagh 3 0 4 0 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1 0 3 5 
			 West Tyrone 1 0 5 2 
			 Mid Ulster 1 0 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Council area visits9 May to 2 May 2006 
			  Council areas  David Hanson  Shaun Woodward  Angela Smith  Lord Rooker 
			 Moyle 0 0 1 1 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 1 0 
			 Ballymena 1 0 2 2 
			 Lame 0 0 3 0 
			 Carrickfergus 1 0 1 0 
			 Newtownabbey 0 1 4 1 
			 Belfast 42 18 34 10 
			 Castlereagh 5 4 1 2 
			 North Down 3 2 1 0 
			 Ards 3 0 0 3 
			 Down 1 0 1 2 
			 Lisburn 6 3 7 0 
			 Antrim 4 0 1 1 
			 Coleraine 3 1 3 1 
			 Magherafelt 0 0 1 0 
			 Cookstown 0 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon 1 2 1 2 
			 Banbridge 1 0 0 0 
			 Limavady 1 1 7 0 
			 Derry 3 1 11 3 
			 Strabane 1 0 4 0 
			 Omagh 0 0 1 2 
			 Dungannon 1 0 2 1 
			 Fermanagh 1 0 1 4 
			 Armagh 1 0 5 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 0 1 0

Ministerial Visits

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list his visits to Northern Ireland together with the purpose and duration of each such visit since 1 January.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the following list of visits:
	
		
			  Date of arrival  Date of departure 
			 9 January 2006 10 January 2006 
			 16 January 2006 17 January 2006 
			 30 January 2006 31 January 2006 
			 5 February 2006 7 February 2006 
			 9 February 2006 10 February 2006 
			 17 February 2006 21 February 2006 
			 24 February 2006 26 February 2006 
			 26 February 2006 28 February 2006 
			 5 March 2006 7 March 2006 
			 8 March 2006 8 March 2006 
			 20 March 2006 21 March 2006 
			 27 March 2006 29 March 2006 
			 30 March 2006 31 March 2006 
			 3 April 2006 4 April 2006 
			 6 April 2006 6 April 2006 
			 20 April 2006 20 April 2006 
			 24 April 2006 25 April 2006 
			 28 April 2006 1 May 2006 
			  Note: Reason for visitsNorthern Ireland business

Ministerial Working Hours

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what average number of hours per week each Minister in his Department spent working in each of the Departments for which they are responsible in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

MRI Scanners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many MRI scanners are operating in NHS hospitals in Northern Ireland; where they are located; and what their average monthly usage was in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: There are nine MRI scanners in Health and Personal Social Services hospitals. Details of the hospitals in which they are located and their average monthly usage, as provided by the Health and Social Services Trusts, are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Hospital  Number of MRI scanners  Average number of hours per month scanner is in use 
			 Altnagelvin Hospital 1 183 
			 Antrim Hospital 1 170 
			 Belfast City Hospital 1 106 
			 Belfast City Hospital Cancer Centre 1 (1)81 
			 Craigavon Hospital 1 160 
			 Musgrave Park Hospital 2 532 
			 Royal Victoria Hospital 1 264 
			 Ulster Hospital 1 121 
			 (1) New cancer centre operational from April 2006. Belvoir Park Hospital MRI scanner was in use for an average of 85 hours per month prior to closure.

Nuisance Hedges

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the proposal for legislation to tackle nuisance hedges was first raised with his Department by an hon. Member; and if he will make a statement on progress made since that time.

Maria Eagle: Following suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive, the proposal for legislation to tackle nuisance high hedges was first raised with the Department of the Environment by the hon. Member for North Down in January 2004.
	The Department subsequently completed a public consultation in October 2005 to assess the scale of the high hedge problem and has recently published a summary of the responses to that consultation on the Planning Service website. The Department accepts, on the basis of that consultation, that legislation is necessary but this cannot be brought forward due to a number of pressures on the legislative programme. It is now unlikely that consultation on the draft legislation will take place prior to the end of 2007.

Nursing

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of nurses in the Province who have left the NHS in each of the last 10 years; and what assessment he has made of the reasons why nurses in the Province leave the NHS before the age of retirement.

Paul Goggins: The number of qualified nurses(1) leaving the HPSS in the last 10 years is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March  Headcount  Whole-time equivalent 
			 1996-97 1,104 925.37 
			 1997-98 1,297 1,090.22 
			 1998-99 1,120 906.73 
			 1999-2000 725 609.63 
			 2000-01 955 814.01 
			 2001-02 896 741.84 
			 2002-03 739 625.42 
			 2003-04 913 765.48 
			 2004-05 893 756.22 
			 2005-06 890 758.54 
		
	
	Information on the actual reasons for leaving is not collected. However, in addition to retirees, leavers may include staff taking a career break, those transferring to the independent/private sector or to the NHS in England, Scotland or Wales, and those leaving for other reasons such as family commitments.
	(1) Qualified nurses include midwives and health visitors.

On-the-runs

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that any future proposals which deal with the issue of 'on-the-runs' will be subjected to equality impact assessments.

Peter Hain: Any future proposals to deal with on-the-runs would be subjected to the procedures contained in the Northern Ireland Office's Equality Scheme. The scheme requires that all policies should be subjected to an equality screening exercise; and that, if the screening demonstrates that there might be an adverse impact or that the impact is unknown, the Department should then to proceed to consider whether a full equality impact assessment is necessary.

Route Development Fund

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent from the Route Development Fund on flights into and out of Northern Ireland in 2005.

Maria Eagle: Total funding for the nine routes supported by the Air Route Development Fund during the 2005-06 financial year was 1,458,634.

School Funding

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average funding per child was in each  (a) grammar school and  (b) other secondary school in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Detailed information at individual school level for Education and Library Board schools is available from the published Outturn Statements for 1999-2000 to 2003-04 which are available in the House of Commons Libraries. Similar outturn information on voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated schools is not available as this is prepared by individual schools.
	The following tables show per pupil funding, by sector, for grammar and other post-primary schools, between 1995-96 and 2004-05 (the last year for which this information is readily available). Figures are based on information provided by each of the Education and Library Boards for their controlled grammar and other non-grammar schools, and by the relevant branches within my Department for voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated schools. Figures include both delegated and centre recurrent funding, but exclude special schools, capital funds and other costs such as milk and meals and transport, which are not allocated at individual school level.
	
		
			  Grammar schools( 1) 
			   Funding( 2)  ()  Full-time equivalent pupils( 2)  Average per pupil 
			 1995-96 143,693,606 60,749 2,365 
			 1996-97 149,523,462 61,436 2,434 
			 1997-98 154,528,688 62,392 2,477 
			 1998-99 161,368,273 62,602 2,578 
			 1999-2000 170,893,174 62,847 2,719 
			 2000-01 183,865,573 62,956 2,921 
			 2001-02 201,553,192 62,966 3,201 
			 2002-03 208,006,222 63,076 3,298 
			 2003-04 223,467,549 63,385 3,526 
			 2004-05 231,509,292 63,643 3,638 
			 (1) All controlled and voluntary grammar schools (2) Includes some funding/pupils in preparatory departments 
		
	
	
		
			  All other post-primary schools 
			   Funding ()  Full-time equivalent pupils  Average per pupil 
			 1995-96 232,383,540 90,150 2,578 
			 1996-97 246,685,733 91,056 2,709 
			 1997-98 250,207,239 91,306 2,740 
			 1998-99 257,052,959 91,837 2,799 
			 1999-2000 277,132,434 92,331 3,002 
			 2000-01 307,702,284 92,950 3,310 
			 2001-02 327,281,993 93,185 3,512 
			 2002-03 338,548,377 92,603 3,656 
			 2003-04 360,179,522 92,839 3,880 
			 2004-05 364,958,184 91,778 3,977

Sure Start

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of children are on Sure Start schemes in each  (a) ward,  (b) county and  (c) constituency in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: There are currently 25 Sure Start projects in Northern Ireland offering just over 24,000 children in the 0-4 age range access to health care and family support services.
	Table 1 shows the percentage of children on Sure Start schemes at Ward level. There are a total of 582 wards in Northern Ireland and Sure Start projects cover 107 wards.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Ward  Percentage of children that are on Sure Start schemes 
			 Ardglass 44.81 
			 Ardoyne 0.87 
			 Armoy 100.00 
			 Audley's Acre 66.90 
			 Augher 94.12 
			 Ballee 35.59 
			 Ballinamallard 95.65 
			 Ballybay 65.70 
			 Ballybot 56.52 
			 Ballycolman 75.68 
			 Ballykeel 78.92 
			 Ballymacarrett 52.05 
			 Ballymote 47.26 
			 Ballynafeigh 46.59 
			 Ballyoran 69.75 
			 Ballysaggart 39.61 
			 Ballysally 49.50 
			 Ballysillan 21.25 
			 Ballywalter 89.95 
			 Blackstaff 65.66 
			 Bonamargy and Rathlin 77.78 
			 Botanic 54.62 
			 Bushmills 100.00 
			 Camlough 18.27 
			 Camowen 77.56 
			 Cam Hill 61.11 
			 Castlecaulfield 36.97 
			 Castleview 21.85 
			 Cathedral 35.45 
			 Churchlands 37.64 
			 Cliftonville 1.28 
			 Clogher 71.79 
			 Clonard 42.59 
			 Collin Glen 13.98 
			 Coole 54.97 
			 Coolessan 62.50 
			 Corcrain 52.31 
			 Creggan 17.51 
			 Crevagh 80.30 
			 Cross Glebe 45.37 
			 Crossmaglen 23.31 
			 Crumlin 20.53 
			 Culmore 29.26 
			 Daisy Hill 28.06 
			 Dalriada 37.82 
			 Drumalane 40.21 
			 Drumragh 77.70 
			 Dunanney 100.00 
			 Duncairn 17.95 
			 Dungiven 62.86 
			 Dunseverick 65.96 
			 East 75.88 
			 Falls 34.94 
			 Feeny 62.66 
			 Fivemiletown 88.19 
			 Glack 62.40 
			 Glencairn 30.83 
			 Glentaisie 76.71 
			 Gortalowry 37.45 
			 Harryville 90.48 
			 Highfield 22.94 
			 Irvinestown 95.92 
			 Island 71.43 
			 Kesh Ederney and Lack 95.80 
			 Killough 29.50 
			 Killyclogher 77.64 
			 Killymeal 49.59 
			 Killymoon 27.71 
			 Kilwee 37.96 
			 Kinbane 43.40 
			 Kircubbin 97.92 
			 Legoniel 1.51 
			 Lisanelly 77.74 
			 Lisnarrick 95.51 
			 Moat 25.83 
			 Moss-side and Moyarget 41.82 
			 Moygashel 44.53 
			 Mullaghmore 41.22 
			 New Lodge 18.23 
			 Newtownhamilton 21.35 
			 North 75.63 
			 Oldtown 62.35 
			 Poleglass 24.16 
			 Portaferry 83.56 
			 Portavogie 83.56 
			 Quoile 56.21 
			 Shaftesbury 46.26 
			 Shankill 29.89 
			 Shantallow East 61.47 
			 Shantallow West 61.26 
			 Sion Mills 75.60 
			 South 75.82 
			 Springtown 80.08 
			 St Mary's 50.65 
			 St Patrick's 29.89 
			 Strangford 74.80 
			 The Highlands 62.26 
			 The Mount 78.84 
			 Trillick 95.65 
			 Twinbrook 36.76 
			 Upper Glenshane 62.72 
			 Upper Malone 23.38 
			 Valley 41.29 
			 Water Works 23.67 
			 West 75.65 
			 Whitehouse 100.00 
			 Woodstock 59.38 
			 Woodvale 27.37 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the percentage of children on Sure Start Schemes at County level. There are a total of6 Counties in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  County  Percentage of children that are on Sure Start schemes 
			 Antrim 34.38 
			 Armagh 61.64 
			 Down 47.98 
			 Fermanagh 95.73 
			 Londonderry 55.79 
			 Tyrone 65.84 
		
	
	Table 3 shows the percentage of children on Sure Start Schemes at constituency level. There are a total of 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland. Lagan Valley, North Down and South Antrim recorded nil.
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  Constituency  Percentage of children are on Sure Start schemes 
			 Antrim Coast and Glens 55.71 
			 Belfast East 65.37 
			 Belfast North 21.29 
			 Belfast South 48.62 
			 Belfast West 28.26 
			 East Deny 54.67 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 73.68 
			 Foyle County 56.40 
			 Mid Ulster 41.91 
			 Newry and Armagh 28.05 
			 North Antrim 59.19 
			 South Down 44.23 
			 Strangford 88.37 
			 Upper Bann 61.64 
			 West Tyrone 76.49

HOME DEPARTMENT

Criminal Justice and Court Services Act

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 has not yet been brought into force.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Before implementing this provision we need to consider the implications for the sentencing framework under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the development of improved offender management. A Young Adult Offenders project is looking at the specific needs of this age group, including standards for the management of offenders in custody and the community. This will include consultation with the main interest groups. The project is due to report to Ministers in the autumn, following which a decision will be taken on the best way forward.

Criminal Records Bureau

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to remove people wrongfully included on the Criminal Records Bureau database.

Joan Ryan: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) operates a central database in order to record transactions during the process of disclosure. This database does not hold details of police convictions or other intelligence, although the CRB does have access to the Police National Computer (PNC) for the purposes of processing disclosure applications.
	The CRB has a procedure whereby individuals may contest or dispute information held by the police or other data sources in certain circumstances, but the CRB does not have the authority to amend or remove conviction information; this is the responsibility of the police who are the data owners of such material. Where an individual indicates that conviction information has been wrongly or inaccurately portrayed on his or her disclosure, the CRB will contact the relevant force and ask them to review the accuracy or the relevance of such material and will communicate the force's decision to the applicant.

Criminal Records Bureau

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Criminal Records Bureau checks have been carried out since they were introduced.

Joan Ryan: The latest available figure shows that the Criminal Records Bureau has issued 8,990,597 Disclosures. This is broken down into 1,063,852 Standard Disclosures and 7,926,745 Enhanced Disclosures.

Death Penalty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 abolished capital punishment for those convicted of murder and introduced the mandatory life sentence instead. I have not received any representations recently about the operation of the Act.

DNA Database

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) individuals and  (b) bodies are authorised to access the National DNA Database.

Joan Ryan: Authorisation to access the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is given to 18 staff within the HO Custodian's group who have responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the NDNAD. In addition the Forensic Science Service Ltd have 15 staff in the NDNAD service delivery team and 16 staff in their information service division, supporting the systems and working on NDNAD development, who have authorisation to access the NDNAD.

DNA Database

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many volunteers providing DNA elimination samples have consented to the addition of their DNA profile to the National DNA Database in each year since 1997; and what percentage of volunteers this represented in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No volunteer samples were loaded before the financial year 2004-05. 12,095 samples were loaded in 2004-05, 3,953 in 2005-06, and 135 have been loaded since 1 April 2006. It is not possible to determine what percentage of volunteers this represents, as no central records are kept of volunteers who give samples which are not loaded to the National DNA Database.

DNA Database

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many criminal cases familiar searching of the National DNA Database has been used in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There were 73 familiar searches in 2004, 78 in 2005 and there have been 19 so far in 2006. There are no data on any familial searches before 2004.

DNA Sampling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations are approved to provide  (a) DNA profiles and  (b) crime scene samples.

Joan Ryan: The following organisations are approved to provide DNA profiles from individuals:
	Forensic Science Service Ltd
	LGC Limited
	Orchid Cellmark
	Tayside Police Forensic Science Laboratory
	Forensic Science Northern Ireland
	The following organisations are approved to provide DNA profiles from crime scene samples:
	Forensic Science Service Ltd
	LGC Limited
	Orchid Cellmark
	Tayside Police Forensic Science Laboratory
	Strathclyde Police Forensic Science Laboratory
	Lothian and Borders Police Forensic Science Laboratory

Forensic Integration Strategy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projects are being undertaken under the Forensic Integration Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: There are a number of projects currently being progressed under the auspices of the Forensic Integration Strategy:
	National rollout of livescan?project to ensure all police forces are able to rapidly check fingerprints to establish identity in custody centres.
	International data-sharing feasibility assessment?work to assess the feasibility of technical options to support international sharing of information, accounting for different national legislation and data protection.
	ACPO DNA and fingerprint retention project?work to ensure that DNA and fingerprint records are appropriately retained following the implementation of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
	ACPO forensic training strategy?to support development and implementation of ACPO's forensic training strategy.
	Improvement of forensic mortuaries.
	Introduction of national IT system for forensic pathologists?to ensure maintenance of common standards and provision of effective management information.
	Development of forensic procurement framework?supporting ACPO to develop common statement of requirements and terms and conditions to support equality of opportunity in development of the forensic service market.

Harry Hammond

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 320W, on Mr. Harry Hammond, if he will posthumously strike Mr. Hammond's conviction from the public record.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Mr. Hammond was convicted by a court of law and only a court can quash that conviction. It is open to the relatives of Mr. Hammond to seek to bring a late appeal or to seek the assistance of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Identity Cards

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans for the management of the identity card database.

Joan Ryan: Strategic functions, critical decision making and sensitive staff roles connected with the National Identity Register will remain under the direct control of the public sector under the auspices of the Identity and Passport Service. However, where appropriate, it is also planned that where the operations of the National Identity Scheme can be best delivered by the private sector, the Identity and Passport Service will seek to procure these services from the market. The Government have also confirmed that the facilities used for hosting the National Identity Register, as part of the country's Critical National Infrastructure, as well as those used for the personalisation of identity cards will be located in the United Kingdom.

Identity Cards

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for remote reading of identity cards; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: It is currently intended that the identity card will be a valid travel document for travel within the European Union. In order to meet minimum international standards for travel documents set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the identity card must include a proximity or contactless chip. Such chips are being introduced into travel documents worldwide to improve their integrity and security, with four of the five largest passport issuing countries, the US, UK, Japan and Germany introducing this chip in passports this year.
	The proximity or contactless chip is read by actively placing the chip on the reader (at a distance of 0 cm to 2 cm from the reader). The contents of the chip can only be 'unlocked' after special characters printed on the card/passport's Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) are scanned. An attempt to read the chip without using the information printed in the MRZ to 'unlock' it will yield no data which can be used to identify the individual. This is known as Basic Access Control protection, which is being implemented internationally in accordance with ICAO standards. It should be noted that this technology differs from that used in RFID tags. While both use radio frequencies, they operate very differently from one anotheran RFID tag is just an identity tag that provides information.
	A proximity chip is more advancedit has processing capability with different operating systems and different security settings. This is reflected in the fact that they are defined by two separate standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

Identity Cards

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people who will reapply for passports before their expiry date in advance of passports being issued in combination with identity cards; and whether he plans to recruit additional staff to process passport applications.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service expects to receive 6.9 million applications in the 2006-07 financial year and has recruited sufficient staff for this. We do not anticipate that the number of people choosing to renew early in order to delay enrolment on the National Identity Register will be significant in the context of the overall number of applications. However, the IPS will continue to monitor trends in application numbers closely and will take action if necessary.

Identity Cards

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2128W, on the identity cards scheme, whether the total staff costs for the identity cards unit are included in the costs reported to Parliament.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 8 May 2006
	Yes. The figure of 32.05 million provided in the answer of 15 February 2006 included total staff costs.

Immigration Detention (Children)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that children subject to immigration control have their needs represented by the Commissioners for Children and Young People in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to respond as I have ministerial responsibility for the Children's Commissioner for England.
	The Children's Commissioner has the general function of promoting awareness of the views and interests of children in England on all matters, and on non-devolved matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is a broad and strategic remit allowing him flexibility in the issues he wishes to consider.
	As immigration control is a non-devolved matter the Children's Commissioner has the remit to promote awareness of the views and interests of children across the UK in respect of this matter.
	The Children's Commissioner is independent of Government. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills does not have the power to direct the general work of the Children's Commissioner so wouldnot be able to ensure the needs of children subjectto immigration control are represented by the Commissioner. The Secretary of State can however, direct the Commissioner to hold an inquiry into a case where he considers that the case of an individual child raises issues of relevance to other children.

Informants

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the incidence of the illegal use of prison inmates as informants; what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of the practice; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Secretary is aware that the Office of Surveillance Commissioners' inspection team found evidence that some information gathering in prisons ought to have had covert human intelligence source authorisation. The Prison Service is committed to address this in their action plan drawn up in response to the inspection undertaken in 2005.

Kelly Hutchinson

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the death in custody of Kelly Hutchinson.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Kelly Hutchinson, a 22-year-old prisoner at HMPYOI New Hall, tragically died in the early hours of 1 May 2006, following an incident in which she was found hanging. Ms Hutchinson was the first woman prisoner to apparently take her own life since October 2005. Ms Hutchinson's death will be thoroughly investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, who, since April 2004, has been investigating all deaths in custody. Her death will also the subject of a police investigation and a coroner's inquest before a jury. The Prison Service will be looking to act on any early lessons that can be learned from Ms Hutchinson's very sad death. My sympathies are with the family and friends of Ms Hutchinson at this time.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times covert surveillance has been used in investigations involving staff within the Prison Service in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer to the answer that was given to the hon. Member on 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 335W.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether disciplinary proceedings were  (a) instigated,  (b) progressed and  (c) successfully concluded against prison staff as a result of video evidence obtained by the prison service in a covert surveillance operation in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For operational reasons, it would be inappropriate to divulge details of the outcome of surveillance operations.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many covert surveillance operations were deployed within each regional area of the Prison Service in each of the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For reasons of operational security,I am unable to list the information in the manner asked. However, the numbers of prison surveillance operations remains low, not least because there continue to be other effective ways of either obtaining intelligence or stopping contraband from entering prison establishments.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms exist to authorise the appropriate use of covert surveillance techniques in the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Both public sector and contracted prisons have systems and audit trails to authorize staff to consider the use of covert investigative techniques. The policy, set out in function four of the National Security Framework, requires a local risk assessmentto be undertaken to consider the necessity; proportionality; and potential for unintentional intrusion that may be caused by any covert operation, before it is submitted to the area manager for approval.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Surveillance Commissioner to discuss  (a) the use of covert surveillance in the Prison Service and  (b) the performance of the Prison Service in surveillance operations; and if he will publish the minutes of that meeting.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, met Sir Andrew Leggatt, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, on 2 February 2006. The meeting covered a number of subjects including the performance of the Prison Service. In view of the sensitivities of the subjects under discussion, I am not proposing to release the minutes of the meeting.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to improve the use of covert surveillance in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service is implementing an action plan that addresses issues raised in the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner's report following an inspection in 2005. I am satisfied that the Prison Service is on course to delivering the action plan and the associated improvements to the use of covert surveillance.

Prison Service (Covert Surveillance)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether covert surveillance techniques in the Prison Service include the authorised use of in-cell surveillance; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service has powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to use intrusive surveillance and ensure appropriate audit trails are in place for their use.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to improve levels of constructive activity and the availability of quality intervention programmes for 18 to 21-year-old prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have invested considerable extra funds in improving rehabilitation regimes for all adults, including this age group, and we now spend 300 million a year on this in prisons alone. All establishments are required to provide constructive regimes which address offending behaviour, improve educational and work skills, and promote law abiding behaviour. To address the specific needs of this group, the National Offender Management Service has established a project to develop a strategy and standards for their management both in custody and the community. This is working with key interest groups who have experience of working successfully with this age group. It is due to report its findings to Ministers in the autumn.

Rathbone Charity

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement onthe work of the Rathbone charity at  (a) HM Young Offender Institution Feltham,  (b) HM Young Offender Institution Huntercombe and  (c) HMYoung Offender Institution Warren Hill; what outcomes he expects the project to deliver; at what cost; and within what time scale.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Rathbone charity provides an employment, training and education service to young people to acquire the necessary skills for employment or further education courses upon release. Funding for the project is 300,000 from the Youth Justice Board for young people under 18, and 60,000 from the Learning and Skills Council, which can be used additionally to support young people aged 18 and over on transition. The initiative will run at Warren Hill young offender institution (YOI) between April and October 2006 and at Feltham and Huntercombe YOIs between May and November 2006.

Sex Offenders (Extradition)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alleged sex offenders have been extradited from the US to the UK in each of the last five years.

Joan Ryan: The figures for the last five complete calendar years are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of extraditions 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 0

Stephen Ayre

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the conclusions of the probation service review into the case of Stephen Ayre will be made public.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Serious Further Offence (SFO) reviews are an internal process carried out by the probation service to quality assure its risk assessment, risk management and offender management procedures. The SFO review of the supervision of Stephen Ayre by West Yorkshire probation area is not yet fully complete, and as such, it would be inappropriate at present to discuss the conclusions of the review. The SFO review is likely to be complete at the end of May, and consideration will then be given to dissemination of the review's conclusions. I will therefore update the hon. Member further once the review has been fully completed.

Train Fare Evasion

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for evading a train fare in each of the last eight years.

Liam Byrne: Data on the number of people prosecuted and convicted for evading a train fare are not held centrally on the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform as prosecutions are brought privately by train operators.

Young Offenders Establishments

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made at each young offender establishment in the self-assessment against the code of practice outlined in Managing Children and Young People's Behaviour in the Secure Estate; and whether he plans to publish the results.

Gerry Sutcliffe: With one exception, all secure establishments that accommodate sentenced or remanded young people under the age of 18 have now completed a self-assessment of performance against the code of practice. The remaining establishment is expected to complete its self-assessment shortly. These self-assessments have been validated, either by the Youth Justice Board or by Prison Service operational support staff. Additionally, the Prison Service has audited its national policies and procedures against the code of practice. By the end of May, each establishment is expected to have completed an action plan to address any areas of non-compliance. Once the Youth Justice Board has had the opportunity to analyse all the information gathered from establishments, it will consider how the results can be made more widely available.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fire and Rescue Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff members employed by each local authority fire and rescue service are members of the  (a) Retained Firefighters Union and  (b) Fire Officers Association; and what mechanism she uses to verify the number.

Angela Smith: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire and Rescue Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many consultants her Department has employed on fire services-related projects, and at what cost, in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002 and expenditure prior to this date is not readily available. For the period May 2002 to March 2006 the figures are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of consultancies   million 
			 2002-03 65 3.38 
			 2003-04 78 5.29 
			 2004-05 114 13.27 
			 2005-06 80 15.35

Holiday Accommodation Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has undertaken into the effect of a hotel, tourist or bed tax.

Phil Woolas: During the Balance of Funding Review, the Local Government Association provided two papers which considered the merits of a range of potential revenue sources, including a tourist tax.
	The Office has not carried out or commissioned any research into the effect of a hotel, tourist or bed tax.

HEALTH

Abortions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many terminations of pregnancies were performed on  (a) 13 to 14 and  (b) 15 to 16 year olds in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information (for England and Wales) is available on the Department's website at:
	 Data for 2002-04
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/Statistical WorkAreas/StatisticalPublicHealth/fs/en
	 Data for 2000-01
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp%3Fvlnk%3D68%26 Pos%3D2%26ColRank%3D2%26Rank%3D640
	 Data for 2005
	Will be published in July 2006.
	The Government's teenage pregnancy strategy aims to help young people delay early sex through its national media campaign and also improved sex and relationships education and support for parents in discussing relationship and sexual health issues with their children. However, it is very important that teenagers who are sexually active have access to contraception, including emergency contraception, and sexual health advice to minimise the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
	Between 1998 (the baseline year for the strategy) and 2004 (the latest year for which data are available) the under-18 conception rate has fallen by 11.1 per cent. The under-16 conception rate has fallen by 15.2 per cent. over the same period. Both rates are now at their lowest levels since the mid-1980s.

Autism

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 254W, to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley), on autism, what assessment the Government have made of the reasons for the trends in the incidence of autism; and what steps her Department is taking to expand the provision of care for autism sufferers.

Ivan Lewis: In March 2001, the Department commissioned the Medical Research Council (MRC) to produce a report on the prevalence and incidence (epidemiology) and causes of autism. This was published in December 2001 and provides an authoritative overview of the current state of knowledge on the prevalence, incidence and causes of autism.
	The report considers recent studies which suggest a prevalence of autism in young children of approximately 60 per 10,000 population and finds that much of the headline rise can be accounted for by changes in diagnostic practice and public awareness. It is available on the MRC website at www.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-autism-report.pdf.
	It is for local commissioners to ensure their populations benefit from improvements to the provision of care for people with autistic spectrum disorders using the increasing resources this Government have made available.

Autism

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being undertaken by her Department to increase awareness of autism among health professionals.

Ivan Lewis: The detailed curricula for the education and training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in treating and supporting those with autism is a matter for the relevant professional bodies.
	The national directors for learning disability and mental health are commissioning a document to assist those working with people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This will clarify how existing policies apply to people with ASD and how these may best be delivered to this group.

Care Homes

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the merits of including a value for money assessment in the inspection reports of care homes for older people produced by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Ivan Lewis: No assessment has been made. The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), as the independent inspectorate for social care in England, is responsible for registering, inspecting and regulating all social care services, including care homes. CSCI works to maintain and improve the quality of care, to ensure the safety of service users and, if necessary, takes enforcement action to end bad practice.
	CSCI inspects local authority social services and awards star ratings, based on how effectively councils are meeting the social care needs of their populations. These ratings will include an assessment of councils' commissioning arrangements. Councils are responsible for ensuring they achieve value for money in their purchasing of services from care homes and CSCI's functions encompass the economy and efficiency of councils' provision and their value for money.
	The great majorityaround 70 per cent.of care homes are private businesses. Market forces, particularly with regard to local authority-funded care home placements, which account for around 67 per cent. of places, ensure there is price competition, particularly in view of the fact that there is currently considerable spare capacity, with approximately 9 per cent. vacancy levels in privately owned, for-profit care homes in 2005(1).
	(1) Care of Elderly PeopleUK Market Report 2005, Laing and Buisson.

Child Care

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursery and creche places are provided for people working in her Department; what charges are made for the provision of such services; and what other facilities are provided for the children of employees of her Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Department offers a package of childcare support for working parents. The package comprises of access to 60 playscheme places offered on site in London and Leeds during the school holidays. The places are very popular and have been in place for more than five years. The places are subsidised on a daily basis. Each place is charged at 18.00 per day. Parents contribute 8.00 per place and the Department meets the cost of the difference. In addition, we will soon be offering childcare vouchers as part of a salary sacrifice scheme. This will be available to all staff to take advantage of the tax benefits attached to salary sacrifice. We are currently tendering for a voucher provider and expect the contract to begin on 1 September 2006. The Department also shares nursery provision with the Department for Work and Pensions for providing 20 on-site nursery places for pre-school children based in Quarry House, Leeds. Finally, we offer three days per annum carers leave in addition to annual and special leave for parents with caring responsibilities. This is to enable staff to care for their children when their usual childcare provision has broken down or in order for them to make alternative caring arrangements.

Children's Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged between four and five received pre-school vision screening in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Children's Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies received hearing screening during the first month of their life during the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not collected centrally. However, data is available from the director of the newborn hearing screening programme for the number of babies receiving hearing screening during the first three months of their life. Between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006, 479,886 babies received a hearing screening test.

Children's Health Services

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has madeof the impact on service users of changes planned for  (a) speech and language therapy,  (b) paediatric physiotherapy and  (c) paediatric occupational therapy by primary care trusts in Buckinghamshire.

Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities, local authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Children's Hospices

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list children's hospices which are receiving grants from the Big Lottery Fund; when this funding will cease in each case; whether she plans to increase funding for children's hospices from central budgets when Lottery funding ceases; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The table shows the list of children's hospices receiving grants from the Big Lottery Fund, and when the funding will cease in each case.
	The provision of palliative care for children and young people with a life threatening or life limiting condition requires a wide range of services provided in a variety of settingshome, school, hospital or hospice to enable them to live as normal a life as possible. It is for local primary care trusts (PCTs), working with local authority partners and stakeholders, to decide how these services will be provided; we have published guidance to support PCTs in working with local authorities and other partners, including hospices, to commission high quality services.
	The Government's White Paper Our health, our care, our say (copies are available in the Library) reaffirms our manifesto commitment to double funding for end of life care to enable more people to have a choice where to die. For children this includes palliative care, quite often a lifelong need, and not just end of life care. I will make an announcement about the manifesto commitment as soon as I can.
	
		
			  Children's hospices in receipt of lottery funding  
			  New opportunities fund  
			 Acorns Children's Hospice Trust November 2006 
			 Butterwick Children's Hospice March 2006 
			 Chase Children's Hospice August 2006 
			 Children's Hospice South West September 2006 
			 Claire House June 2006 
			 Cope Childrens Trust October 2006 
			 Demelza House Children's Hospice August 2006 
			 Derian House September 2006 
			 Donna Louise Trust May 2006 
			 East Anglia's Childrens Hospices June 2006 
			 Haven House Foundation June 2006 
			 Helen House Children's Hospice April 2006 
			 Hope House Children's Hospice July 2006 
			 Little Haven March 2006 
			 Martin House January 2007 
			 Pasque Charity March 2006 
			 Richard House Children's Hospice March 2007 
			 Richard House Trust July 2007 
			 St. Andrew's Hospice Limited April 2006 
			 St. Barnabas Hospice Limited July 2007 
			 Wessex Children's Hospice Trust January 2007 
			 Zoe's Place Trust November 2006 
			   
			  Community fund  
			 Donna Louise Trust April 2006 
			 Claire House Children's Hospice Not yet drawn down

Children's Hospices

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future funding of children's hospices.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 13 March 2006
	The White Paper Our health, our care, our say reaffirms our commitment to double funding of end of life care to enable more people to have a choice about where to die. We will make further announcements on plans to implement this manifesto commitment as soon as possible.

Colonoscopy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the remaining four programme hubs in the bowel cancer screening programme to be decided by the NHS cancer screening programme teams; and  (a) how and  (b) where the public can make representations on the location and timing of future hubs.

Rosie Winterton: Five programme hubs across England will invite men and women to participate in the screening programme, send out the faecal occult blood (FOB) testing kits, interpret kits and send results out. Ninety to 100 local screening centres will provide endoscopy services for the 2 per cent. of men and women who have a positive FOB test result.
	As there are only five programme hubs to cover the whole of England, these are being commissioned centrally by national health service cancer screening programmes. The national cancer screening team is currently assessing where the other programme hubs will be located and announcements will be made as soon as possible.
	Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were asked to bid last August for their local endoscopy units to become local screening centres as part of the first wave of the programme in 2006-07. Similar exercises will take place for the second wave in 2007-08 and the third wave in 2008-09. It is up to SHAs to decide where local screening centres should be located for the benefit of their own populations.
	We intend that all five programme hubs will be established, and around 14 local screening centres will be operating (out of a total of 90 to 100 for full national coverage) by March 2007.

Dentistry

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists signed the dental contract in dispute.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who signed the new contract in dispute is not available centrally. Provisional management estimates indicate that 2,884 contracts were signed in dispute. A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.
	Primary care trusts are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.

Dentistry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on recall interval between dental examinations; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: In 2002, the Department asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), as the independent organisation responsible for providing health guidance, to produce a guideline relating to recall intervals between dental examinations. The Department regards NICE's recommendations as constituting the best available independent clinical advice on how dentists should agree with each patient the recall intervals that are appropriate to the needs of individual patients. Under the new contracts for general dental services and personal dental services, dentists are required to provide services in accordance with guidance issued by NICE, including guidance on recall intervals.

Dentistry

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in the  (a) Tameside and Glossop and  (b) Stockport Primary Care Trust have signed the new NHS dental contract; and what percentage this represents of (i) all dentists and (ii) those dentists providing NHS treatments under the old arrangements in each PCT area.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract and the number who have not signed is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts. A contract may well be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
	
		
			  Provisional management estimates in Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust (PCT) 
			   Number  Approximate UDA( 1)  value  Percentage of UDA( 1) s 
			 Contracts signed 39 416,673  
			 Contracts rejected 5 10,845 2.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Provisional management estimates in Stockport PCT 
			   Number  Approximate UDA( 1)  value  Percentage of UDA( 1) s 
			 Contracts signed 55 541,000  
			 Contracts rejected 7 29,000 5.1 
			 (1) Approximate Units of Dental Activity value  Notes: The information provided is not validated as it represents a snapshot of the position in early April 2006. A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.

Dentistry

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered for NHS dentistry in Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The number of patients registered with a national health service dentist in Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust as at 31 December in each specified year is shown in the table.
	With effect from September 1996, the registration period for adults was reduced from two years to 15 months from the date of the patient's last attendance at the dentist. Registration periods for children were also standardised at 15 months. This produced a gradual reduction in the number of patients registered with dentists between January and September 1998 as those adult patients who were originally registered on a 24-month basis and did not return to the dentist were no longer counted.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) 
			   Registered patients 
			 1997 173,009 
			 1998 155,221 
			 1999 157,106 
			 2000 160,389 
			 2001 161,980 
			 2002 158,667 
			 2003 151,480 
			 2004 151,423 
			 2005 144,555 
			  Notes: 1. PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations for established PDS practices are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months. 2. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations, for example dental access centres, and is therefore not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005 data. 3. The registration figures for 1997 are not comparable with subsequent years due to the change in the registration period to 15 months. Previously the period for adults was 24 months whilst children's registrations expired at the end of the following calendar year. The introduction of PDS in October 1998 and subsequent growth has also affected the figures. 4. The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the PCT, not the patient's home address. 5. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Business Services Authority

Dentistry

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists doing NHS work have signed the new NHS dental contract in dispute in each primary care trust in England; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract and the number who have signed in dispute is not available centrally.
	We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts. A contract may well be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level. The number of contracts which have been signed in dispute in each primary care trust (PCT) has been placed in the library.
	PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.

Dentistry

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis the number of people registered with a dentist will be recorded following changes to the system for such registration.

Rosie Winterton: Under the new arrangements, the NHS Business Services Authority will monitor the numbers of patients who receive care or treatment from national health service primary care dentists on one or more occasions within a given period of time, as has previously been the system for most personal dental services pilots. We are reviewing what time period should be used as the main basis for this monitoring.

Dentistry

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of eligible dentists in the area covered by the Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust had accepted the NHS dental contract as at 31 March; how many eligible dentists had declined to accept the new NHS dental contract as at that date; and how many eligible dentists had not responded either way.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists or dental practices who have signed the new contract and the number who have not signed is not available centrally. However, provisional information is available that covers contracts.
	A contract may be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
	
		
			  Provisional management estimates in Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) 
			   Number  Approximate UDA( 1)  value  Percentage of UDA( 1) s 
			 Contracts signed 62 253,250  
			 Contracts still in discussion 0 0  
			 Contracts rejected 12 6,078 2.3 
			 (1) Approximate Units of Dental Activity value.  Notes: The information provided is not validated as it represents a snapshot of the position in early April 2006.

Dentistry

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were practising within the Bexley Primary Care Trust area in  (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and  (c) 2005.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  General dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of national health service dentists in Bexley Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 31 December in the specified years 
			   Number 
			 1997 88 
			 2001 90 
			 2005 99 
			  Notes: 1. Data include all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the NHS Business Services Authority, up to 23 March 2006. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS. 2. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded from the data. 3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 4. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists is not centrally available. 5. Data on dentists who work only in private practice are not held centrally.  Sources: NHS Business Services Authority The Information Centre for health and social care

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) adults and  (b) children are registered with an NHS dentist in each primary care trust in Devon; how many were registered in each category in 1997; and what proportion of dentists have signed the NHS contract in each health trust area in Devon.

Rosie Winterton: The tables give the estimated percentage of adults and children registered with a national health service dentist in Devon in the years 1997 and 2005. There is no information currently available on the number of dentists who have signed the new NHS contract in Devon. However, information on provisional management estimates is provided for a number of contracts signed in the Devon area.
	
		
			  Table 1: General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of adults and children registered with an NHS dentist in Devon primary care trusts (PCTs) as at 31 December 1997 and the estimated percentage of the total estimated population in England 
			   1997  1997 Estimate percentage of patients registered 
			   Adult  Child  Adult  Child 
			 PCTs in England 259,054 98,742 53 69 
			 East Devon 44,563 13,710 (1) (1) 
			 Mid Devon 28,781 12,501 (1) (1) 
			 North Devon 52,581 23,153 (1) (1) 
			 South Hams and West Devon 35,418 16,513 (1) (1) 
			 Teignbridge 40,232 13,840 (1) (1) 
			 Torbay 57,479 19,025 (1) (1) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: GDS and PDS: Number of adults and children registered with an NHS dentist in Devon PCTs as at 31 December 2005 and the estimated percentage of the total estimated population in England and Devon PCTs in 2005 
			   2005  2005 Estimate percentage of patients registered 
			   Adult  Child  Adult  Child 
			 PCTs in England 17,705,593 7,040,445 46 60 
			 East Devon 40,577 12,768 42 54 
			 Mid Devon 39,837 15,165 54 70 
			 North Devon 62,459 24,412 53 73 
			 South Hams and West Devon 18,594 13,292 21 54 
			 Teignbridge 27,665 10,851 33 46 
			 Torbay 42,929 15,994 41 57 
			 (1) Not applicable. Population estimates are not available at PCT level prior to 2001.  Notes: 1. Official 2005 population data is not yet available. 2005 data has therefore been estimated using Office for National Statistics 2004 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 census as these are the latest available. 2. PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations for established PDS practices are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months. 3. Note that the data on registration numbers for December 1997 is calculated on a different basis from subsequent years. The registration period for both adults and children in GDS was 15 months from 1 September 1996 (registrations expire 15 months after the end of the month of registration). Previously the registration period for adults was an exact 24 months while children's registrations expired at the end of the next calendar year. Therefore, data on the 15 month registration period is available from January 1998 for children and September 1998 for adults. The introduction of PDS in October 1998 and subsequent growth has also affected the figures, changes in the registration period from two years to 15 months impacted on the number of patients registered after December 1997.  4. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate patient registrations to specific geographic areas (not the patient's home address). 5. Registration rates (i.e. the percentage of the population registered with a dentist) have been estimated by including registrations in the area of the dentist, that is according to the postcode of the dental surgery and not the patient's address. So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live. This can lead to figures being unusually high, even over 100 per cent. for child registrations, while other areas may have estimated rates which are lower than the actual (but unknown) proportion of residents who are registered with a dentist in or outside their own area. 6. Figures have been provided by the Information Centre for health and social care. The data source is the Business Services Authority and the figures are based on the numbers of patients registered with dentists with open General Dental Service (GDS) or Personal Dental Service (PDS) contracts as at 31 December in each specified year. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care and the NHS Business Services Authority 
		
	
	
		
			   Contracts signed  Contracts rejected 
			  PCTs  A: Number  B: Approximate UDA value  E: Number  F: Approximate UDA value  Percentage UDAs 
			 Torbay 21 195,500 4 2,810 1.4 
			 North Devon 25 264,300 5 18,500 6.5 
			 East Devon 21 158,883 4 2,528 1.6 
			 Teignbridge PCT 28 164,172 1 12 0.0 
			 Mid Devon PCT 13 160,731 3 3,607 2.2 
			 South Hams and West Devon 22 95,000 5 3,500 3.6 
			  Note: A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.  The information provided is not validated.  It represents a snapshot of the position in early April.

Dentistry

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were practising within Horsham and Chactonbury Primary Care Trust area in each year for which records are available.

Rosie Winterton: Numbers of national health services dentists at local geographic areas are not readily available prior to 1997. However, the number of NHS dentists as at 31 December 1997 to 2005 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  General dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of NHS dentists in Horsham and Chactonbury Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 31 December each year 
			   Number 
			 1997 55 
			 1998 55 
			 1999 60 
			 2000 64 
			 2001 71 
			 2002 74 
			 2003 73 
			 2004 74 
			 2005 71 
			  Notes: 1. Data include all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the NHS Business Services Authority, up to 23 March 2006. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS. 2. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded from the data. 3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 4. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists is not centrally available. 5. Data on dentists who work only in private practice are not held centrally.  Sources: NHS Business Services Authority The Information Centre for health and social care

Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the funding of enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage diseases will continue under the national specialist commissioning advisory group arrangements after 31 March 2007.

Ivan Lewis: It has not yet been decided whether the funding of enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage disorders will continue under the national specialist commissioning advisory group after 31 March 2007.

Fruit/Vegetable Consumption

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average fruit and vegetable consumption per person was in the UK in each year since 1997, broken down by household income.

Caroline Flint: The health survey for England (HSE) undertaken by the Department collects data on fruit and vegetable consumption. Data is available for 2003 for adults and 2001 for children. This is shown in tables one and two. The highest consumption was found in women from the higher income groups eating 4.4 portions per day compared to the recommended portions of five portions.
	The Food Standards Agency's consumer attitude survey indicates that there has been a steady increase in awareness of the 5 a day message from 43 per cent. to 67 per cent. in 2005. Those claiming to have eaten at least five portions of fruit and vegetables the previous day had risen from 26 per cent. in 2000 to 30 per cent. in 2006.
	Fruit and vegetable consumption for adults and children, broken down by household income for 2001 and 2003, is shown in tables one and two.
	In 1997 to 2000, consumption of fruit and vegetables based on household purchases is available fromthe national food survey and after 2001, from the expenditure and food survey. Quantities purchased for 2001-02 to 2003-04 broken down by income quintile are shown in table three. Quantities for 1997 to 2000 broken down by income bands are shown in table four.
	These tables show that, overall, households have not seen a huge change in the purchasing of fruit and vegetables. However, we have seen a significant increase in purchases from those in the lowest income quintiles. This group has purchased 33 per cent. more fruit and vegetables per week in 2004-05 compared to 2001-02.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mean fruit and vegetable consumption( 1)  portions per day by adults( 2)  (age standardised) by equivalised household income quintile and gender, England 2003 
			  Percentages 
			   Equivalised annual household income quintile 
			   Highest  Second  Third  Fourth  Lowest 
			 Men 3.6 3.4 3.1 3.0 2.6 
			 Women 4.4 3.8 3.5 3.2 2.8 
			   
			  Bases (weighted) 
			 Men 1,390 1,419 1,280 973 1,036 
			 Women 1,172 1,365 1,424 1,134 1,285 
			 (1 )Consumption is calculated in 80-gram portions. (2) Adults aged 16 and over.   Source:  HSE 2003, Department of Health 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Mean fruit and vegetable consumption( 1)  portions per day by children( 2) , by equivalised household income quintile and gender, England 2001-02 
			  Percentages 
			   Equivalised annual household income quintile 
			   Highest  Second  Third  Fourth  Lowest 
			 Males 3.0 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 
			 Females 3.2 2.7 2.6 2.3 2.5 
			   
			  Bases (weighted) 
			 Males 550 715 853 812 798 
			 Females 570 684 822 758 852 
			 (1 )Consumption is calculated in 80-gram portions. (2) Children aged 5 to 15.   Source:  HSE 2002, Department of Health 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Quantities of fruit and vegetables, excluding potatoes, purchased, grams per person per week( 1) :( ) United Kingdom 
			  Average gross weekly household income (UK)  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Quintile 5 (highest income) 2,947 2,496 2,473 2,512 
			 Quintile 4 2,492 2,325 2,143 2,129 
			 Quintile 3 2,220 2,121 2,204 2,197 
			 Quintile 2 2,058 2,273 2,377 2,248 
			 Quintile 1 (lowest income) 1,667 2,217 2,049 2,210 
			 UK average across all households 2,248 2,307 2,269 2,274 
			 (1) Each household member over the age of seven kept a diary.   Source:  Expenditure and food survey. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Quantities of fruit and vegetables (excluding potatoes) purchased, grams per person per week( 1) : Great Britain 
			  By gross weekly income of head of household( 2)  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 A 2,618 2,819 2,732 2,604 
			 B 2,157 2,196 2,170 2,214 
			 C 1,964 1,925 1,851 1,922 
			 D (lowest income) 1,798 1,647 1,840 1,775 
			 El (highest income) 3,036 3,198 3,072 3,245 
			 E2 (lowest income) 1,881 1,863 1,827 2,133 
			 OAP households 2,489 2,389 2,275 2,491 
			 All GB households 2,188 2,181 2,158 2,197 
			 (1) One diary for the entire household completed by person who does most of the food shopping.  (2) A, B and C are households with one or more earners; In 2000 A: 725 and over, B: 375 and under 725, C: 180 and under 375, El and E2 are households without an earner; In 2000 El: 180 and over, E2: under 180.   Source:  National food survey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many care homes registered as catering for the needs of  (a) people aged over 65 with mental illness and  (b) people aged between 18 and 65 with mental illness there were in each of the last six years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of people aged 65 years and over who suffered from a sensory impairment in each of the last six years, broken down by sense;
	(3)  how many  (a) care homes were registered for sensory impairment for elderly people and  (b) places were available in such care homes in each of the last six years, broken down by local authority.

Ivan Lewis: Table 1 shows the number of residential and nursing care homes for people aged 18 and over with mental health problems in England at 31 March for the years 2000 and 2001.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of residential and nursing care homes for people with mental health problems, England 2000 and 2001 
			   Residential( 1)  Nursing( 2)  Total 
			  At 31 March:  Aged 18-64  Aged 65 and over  All  All 
			 2001 1,890 940 1,050 3,870 
			 2000 1,940 930 1,070 3,950 
			 (2) Nursing home figures are for all ages. Separate data for 18 to 64 and 65 and over are not available.   Note: Information for 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 is not available.   Sources:  Forms RA(A)(1 )and RH(N)A(2), Department of Health. 
		
	
	I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that the number of care homes catering for the needs of people aged over 65 and people aged between 18 and 65 with mental illness between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2006 were as shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Total number of care homes registered for people with mental illness 
			   Aged over 65  Aged 18 to 65  Total 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 1,777 2,742 4,519 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 1,907 2,523 4,430 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 1,780 2,302 4,082 
			 1 April 2005 to 23 March 2006 1,752 2,255 4,077 
		
	
	Information on the number of people aged 65 and over who are suffering from sensory impairment is not available centrally.
	Table 3 shows the number of adults aged 65 and over who are registered as blind, partially blind, deaf or hard of hearing in England. Registration of blindness or deafness is voluntary. Therefore, the number of people registered does not include all people with a sensory impairment.
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of adults aged 65 and over who are registered as having a sensory impairment in England, as at 31 March 2000 to 2004 
			  Registered as:  2000  2001  2003  2004 
			 Blind 124,100 n/a 121,100 n/a 
			 Partially sighted 118,900 n/a 122,200 n/a 
			 Deaf n/a 19,000 n/a 21,700 
			 Hard of hearing n/a 116,100 n/a 126,100 
			 n/a = Not available.   Notes:  1. The information on both the blind and deaf registers is collected every three years.  2. Data is rounded. 
		
	
	I understand from CSCI that the number of care homes registered for sensory impairment and the number of places available in these homes, broken down by local authority, between 1 April 2003 and31 March 2006 is shown in table 4.
	
		
			  Table 4: Care homes registered for sensory impairment and available places, 2003 to 2006, England 
			   1 April to 31 March 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Local authority  Care homes  Places  Care homes  Places  Care homes  Places 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1 22 1 22 1 22 
			 Birmingham 2 98 2 98 2 98 
			 Bradford 1 35 1 35 1 35 
			 Brent 1 21 1 21 1 21 
			 Brighton and Hove 1 44 1 44 1 44 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 38 1 38 0 0 
			 Cornwall 1 5 1 5 2 33 
			 Coventry 1 13 1 13 1 13 
			 Cumbria 1 38 1 38 1 38 
			 Devon 3 78 4 106 4 106 
			 Durham 1 40 1 40 1 40 
			 Essex 2 60 2 60 2 60 
			 Gateshead 17 559 18 592 18 578 
			 Gloucestershire 2 56 2 56 2 56 
			 Hampshire 4 160 4 160 4 160 
			 Hertfordshire 2 58 2 58 2 58 
			 Kingston upon Hull 1 21 1 21 1 21 
			 Leeds 1 6 2 11 2 11 
			 Leicester 19 605 19 605 20 622 
			 Leicestershire 23 884 23 884 23 884 
			 Manchester 2 45 1 32 1 32 
			 North Yorkshire   1 39 1 39 
			 Oldham 16 476 17 496 17 496 
			 Oxfordshire 1 103 1 103 1 103 
			 Peterborough 2 11 2 11 2 11 
			 Plymouth 2 67 3 88 3 88 
			 Salford 1 59 1 59 1 59 
			 Sheffield 1 30 1 30 1 30 
			 Somerset 1 40 1 40 1 40 
			 South Tyneside 5 196 7 305 7 305 
			 Southend on Sea 1 25 1 25 1 25 
			 Stockport 1 44 1 44 1 44 
			 Suffolk 1 16 1 16 1 16 
			 Sunderland 15 597 15 597 14 553 
			 Surrey 43 1,597 44 1,635 45 1,738 
			 Swindon 1 5 1 5 1 5 
			 Tameside 12 415 12 415 12 415 
			 Wandsworth 1 6 1 6 1 6 
			 Worcestershire 1 16 1 16 2 28 
			 Total 105 3,703 200 6,869 202 6,933 
			  Notes:  1. Local authorities not listed do not have care homes registered for sensory impairment.  2. Information on homes registered for sensory impairment prior to 2003 and the establishment of CSCI is not available.

Midwives

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant midwife posts there are in  (a) the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority area and  (b) the East Hull and West Hull Primary Care Trust area; and what plans her Department has to recruit more midwives into the NHS in North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the table. Individual national health service organisations are responsible for the recruitment of midwives. I am advised that Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is able to deploy staff flexibly to cover vacancies, and is planning to recruit to five of the vacant posts. North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority is continuing to commission training programmes for registered midwives at the Universities of Hull and York in order to maintain future supply.
	
		
			  Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005: NHS three month qualified midwifery vacancies in North East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority area by organisationThree month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post 
			Midwives 
			March 2005  September 2004 
			  Staff in post 
			Three month vacancy rate (%)  Three month vacancy number  Full-time equivalent  Headcount 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority area total Q11 4.9 21 558 709 
			 Craven Harrogate and Rural District PCT 5KJ 0 0 0 0 
			 East Yorkshire PCT 5E3 0 0 0 0 
			 Eastern Hull PCT 5E5 0 0 0 0 
			 Hambleton and Richmondshire PCT 5KH 0 0 0 0 
			 Harrogate Health Care NHS Trust RCD 0 0 47 59 
			 Hull and East Riding Community Health NHS Trust RV9 0 0 0 0 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust RWA 10.2 21 183 236 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA Q11 0 0 0 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 5AN 0 0 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 5EF 0 0 0 0 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust RCC 0 0 72 80 
			 Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT 5KK * 0 1 1 
			 Selby and York PCT 5E2 0 0 0 0 
			 Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust RV1 0 0 0 0 
			 West Hull PCT 5E6 0 0 0 0 
			 York Health Services NHS Trust RCB 0 0 103 137 
			 Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT 5E4 0 0 0 0 
			  Three month vacancy notes:  1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005.  2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents).  3. Three month Vacancy Rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.  4. Three month Vacancy Rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.  5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.  6. * Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 30 September 2004) and vacancies (as at 31 March 2005) is less than 10.  Staff in post note: Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.  General notes:  1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.  2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.  3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.  4. The 2005 vacancy survey did not receive a valid return from the Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust. Figures for this trust have been excluded from all applicable vacancy totals and calculations. Staff in post figures for this trust are included in the England, Yorkshire and the Humber GOR and North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA totals so as to be consistent with other Health and Social Care Information Centre publications.   Sources:  The information centre for health and social care vacancies survey March 2005. The information centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.

NHS Finance

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional funding has been provided to implement Agenda for Change in the Trent Strategic Health Authority in each financial year since 2004-05; and what such funding is planned for each year to 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: The funding for Agenda for Change is included in the unified primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations that cover the full range of services commissioned by PCTs. It is for PCTs to decide how their allocations can be used in the most effective way.

Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what allocation of grants has been made from the opportunities for volunteering scheme in 2006-07.

Ivan Lewis: The Department of Health has allocated 6.7 million to its opportunities for volunteering scheme for 2006-07. Funds will be distributed through grants to individual volunteering projects by the scheme's 16 voluntary sector national agents.

Osteoporosis

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have an integrated falls and osteoporosis service.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Osteoporosis

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to include chiropractors in the musculoskeletal services framework being developed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have recently consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including the General Chiropractic Council, on the framework. We will review and revise the framework in the light of the contributions received from all stakeholders before publication later this year.

Palliative Care

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each primary care trust has allocated to palliative care for 2006-07.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect the data requested. Primary care trusts are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care.

Palliative Care

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the process is for commissioning children's palliative care; and what plans she has for the reform of these arrangements.

Ivan Lewis: National Standards, Local Action published in July 2004 recommends that primary care trusts (PCTs) will need to take into account specialist services, which can only be commissioned effectively on a pan-PCT or broader basis. PCTs, with the support of strategic health authorities (SHAs), are expected to act collaboratively to secure these services and their improvement.
	Last November, we published Commissioning Children's and Young People's Palliative Care Services which gives commissioners important advice about the key aspects of children's palliative care, both general and specialist, which will improve the quality of service provision and promote quality of care for children, young people and their families in a range of settings, for example palliative care at home, in hospital or in a hospice.
	On 22 March a series of eight regional events were launched to bring PCT commissioners, hospital and community services and voluntary organisations to promote local networks to commission and deliver improved quality and choice in palliative care services for children and young people.
	The Government's White Paper Our health, our care, our say (copies are available in the Library) reaffirms our manifesto commitment to double funding for end of life care to enable more people to have a choice about where to die. For children this includes palliative care, quite often a lifelong need and not just end of life care. The White Paper includes additional commitments on:
	provision of emergency, home-based respite care;
	expert carers programme;
	carers helpline, where the hospice movement will play an important role; and
	an audit of services by PCTs against the national service framework standard for disabled children and young people and those with complex health needs, agreeing funding, models of service and commissioning arrangements with SHAs.

Patient Transport Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on private sector transportation of patients in the  (a) Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area and  (b) Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department. This information is collected individually by each national health services trust through their accounting procedures.

Photodynamic Therapy

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking  (a) to raise awareness and  (b) to promote the use of photodynamic therapy for skin cancer patients;
	(2)  what plans she has to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to issue further guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy for skin cancer patients;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of  (a) the relative costs and  (b) the patient benefits of (i) photodynamic therapy treatment and (ii) other treatment options for skin cancer patients;
	(4)  what plans she has to commission research into the efficacy of photodynamic therapy for skin cancer patients.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2006
	It is the responsibility of clinicians to discuss with patients appropriate treatment options for their particular condition. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was set up in 1999 to issue clinical guidance to support the national health service including: interventional procedure guidance to assess if a procedure is safe for routine use in the NHS; technology appraisals to assess if a treatment is clinically and cost effective; clinical guidelines to advise on the diagnosis and management of certain conditions; and cancer service guidance to advise on how services should be organised to ensure good outcomes for patients.
	In February 2006, as part of its programme of work on interventional procedures, NICE issued guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of non melanoma skin tumours. It noted that the procedure was generally safe and did not cause major problems although, in theory, it could start off cancerous changes in the skin. It recommended that when doctors use this procedure for people with basal cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease or actinic keratosis, they should be sure that the patient understands what is involved and consents to the treatment and that the results of the procedure are monitored. NICE also noted that there is not much information available on how well the procedure works in people with squamous cell carcinoma. There is a relatively high chance that the carcinoma will return after treatment, and there is a risk that the carcinoma will spread and become more dangerous. NICE has said that patients need to understand these risks before they agree to have PDT. They also need to understand that further treatment may be necessary.
	Also in February 2006, NICE published guidance on Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours, including melanoma. This guidance includes recommendations on the management of patients with suspected precancerous or cancerous skin lesions. It describes PDT including the advantages and disadvantages of this type of treatment and notes that, at present, there is little information available on long-term cure rates. It does however recommend that a number of surgical and non-surgical procedures for the treatment of skin cancer, including PDT, should be available for use by clinicians in relevant teams, subject to locally agreed standards of competence.
	There are no plans to ask NICE to produce additional guidance on this treatment.
	The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation. The Department is not directly funding research on PDT for cancer, but is providing NHS support through the national cancer research network for two trials of PDT for biliary tract cancers. Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to, and managed by, NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with PDT, can be found on the Department's website on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Preventive Technology Grant

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of the preventive technology grant will be; and how it will be distributed.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are investing a total of 80 million over two years from April 2006 through the preventive technology grant. The grant determination and allocations to local authorities were notified in Local Authority Circular LAC(2006)5 issued on 23 March, a copy of which is on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Psoriasis

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health technology assessment has been carried out of alternative treatments for psoriasis.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently examining the use of efalizumab and etanercept for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Details are available on NICE'S website at www.NICE.org.uk.

Psoriasis

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of treatment for psoriasis there were in each  (a) Government office region and  (b) strategic health authority area in the last three years for which figures are available; what the cost per head of treatment was in each year; how many such courses of treatment used (i) corticosteroids, (ii) artificial phototherapy and (iii) heliotherapy in each case; and what the cost was of treatment of psoriasis by each method in each case.

Ivan Lewis: In 2004-05, there were 8,283 finished consultant episodes, in total 49,015 bed days, recorded for all psoriatic conditions.
	Prescription data cannot provide the number, or cost, of treatments for psoriasis with corticosteroids as these drugs are prescribed for other conditions.
	 Notes:
	 Finished consultant episode (FCE)
	A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

Section 64 Funding

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish contingency plans to mitigate the impact of delays in decisions regarding Section 64 (Health Services and Public Health Act 1968) funding for the voluntary and community sector.

Ivan Lewis: The Department understands the implications on voluntary and community sector organisations on the delay in decisions concerning Section 64 funding for 2006-07. For those organisations with second or third year commitments, the Department has organised for them to receive an interim amount equivalent to the first quarter payment, this will enable them to continue projects without interruption.

Self-harm

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to hospitals on dealing with patients who self-harm on site.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published self-harm clinical guidelines for NHS mental health provider trusts in 2004. The NICE guidelines cover the care which patients who harm themselves can expect to receive from healthcare professionals in and outside hospital settings and what they can expect from their treatment.
	However, NICE guidelines do not attempt to explain self-harm or describe the treatment for this in detail. This is why the Department and the National Institute for Mental Health in England are re-evaluating current treatment approaches for self-harm, by undertaking an exploratory exercise on the appropriate management of self-harm. This will focus on adult service users, predominantly female, who self-harm as a coping mechanism or survival strategy. The exercise started in January 2006 and will run until autumn. It will ascertain the level of support at both local and regional levels and the evidence base for adopting a harm-reduction approach. It will also judge the appropriateness (with NICE) of developing guidelines and training to facilitate a harm-minimisation approach amongst service providers.

Serious Case Reviews

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious case reviews for vulnerable adults have been carried out; and in how many cases the serious case review involved the murder of a vulnerable adult.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. There is no statutory requirement for statutory agencies to carry out serious case reviews for vulnerable adults. This is a matter for local decision.
	The Department, together with the Home Office, issued No Secrets as statutory guidance under Section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. It is designed to help authorities to investigate reports of abuse and develop measures for prevention. It requests local authorities to ensure that local communities are aware of the existence of adult protection procedures and that they know where they can report incidents of abuse.
	It provides a complete definition of abuse and a framework for councils to work with the police, the national health service and regulators and other agencies to tackle abuse and prevent it from occurring.

Specialised Commissioning

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her review of specialised commissioning arrangements has included consultation with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Ivan Lewis: The review into commissioning arrangements for specialised services was set up to consider the way specialised health care services as a whole are commissioned and has not looked at individual services or groups of services. It has not specifically consulted the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, but over 140 individual written submissions were received from a wide range of clinicians, hospital managers, professional bodies, patients' groups and national health services commissioners.

Transient Families

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps she has taken to improve co-operation between the Department and the Welsh Assembly Government on tracking vulnerable adults from transient families; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Councils locally determine the procedures that ensure information about vulnerable adults, including information relating to risk, is appropriately managed. It is for councils to decide how information, identified through a needs assessment, is to be collected, stored and shared, with due regard to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. The effectiveness of these measures is not monitored centrally.
	The social exclusion unit in the Department for Communities and Local Government will publish a report, Moving On: Reconnecting Frequent Movers, in late spring 2006. The report aims to improve service delivery for people who move frequently. It will include a section on the issues around tracking vulnerable people.

Voluntary Organisations (Compact Agreements)

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which voluntary organisations the Department has a formal national Compact agreement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has no formal national Compact agreements with any individual third sector (voluntary) organisations. The Department does have a strategic agreement with the national health service and the third sector: Making Partnership Work for Patients, Carers and Service Users published in September 2004, which is underpinned by and complements the Compact and its codes of good practice.

Wynne Lieberthal

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received information from the Minister of Defence of the Irish Republic about  (a) the agency known as Medicare Solutions based in Chessington, Surrey and  (b) Wynne Lieberthal; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 February 2006
	We have no record of a communication from the Minister of Defence of the Irish Republic on these issues.